Tsung-Da Lin

III–V Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors with High κ Dielectrics

Research efforts on achieving low interfacial density of states (Dit) as well as low electrical leakage currents on GaAs-based III–V compound semiconductors are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on ultra high vacuum (UHV) deposited Ga2O3(Gd2O3) and atomic layer deposition (ALD)-Al2O3 on GaAs and InGaAs. Ga2O3(Gd2O3), the novel oxide, which was electron-beam evaporated from a gallium-gadolinium-garnet target, has, for the first time, unpinned the Fermi level of the oxide/GaAs heterostructures. Interfacial chemical properties and band parameters of valence band offsets and conduction band offsets in the oxides/III–V heterostructures are studied and determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical leakage transport measurements. The mechanism of III–V surface passivation is discussed. The mechanism of Fermi-level unpinning in ALD-Al2O3ex-situ deposited on InGaAs were studied and unveiled. Systematic heat treatments under various gases and temperatures were studied to achieve low leakage currents of 10-8–10-9 A/cm2 and low Dits in the range of (4–9)×1010 cm-2 eV-1 for Ga2O3(Gd2O3) on InGaAs. By removing moisture from the oxide, thermodynamic stability of the Ga2O3(Gd2O3)/GaAs heterostructures was achieved with high temperature annealing, which is needed for fabricating inversion-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor filed-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The oxide remains amorphous and the interface remains intact with atomic smoothness and sharpness. Device performances of inversion-channel and depletion-mode III–V MOSFETs are reviewed, again with emphasis on the devices using Ga2O3(Gd2O3) as the gate dielectric.

Self-Aligned Inversion-Channel In0. 53Ga0. 47As Metal--Oxide--Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors with In-situ Deposited Al2O3/Y2O3 as Gate Dielectrics

In-situ ultrahigh-vacuum-deposited Y2O3 2–3-monolayer-thick on freshly grown In0.53Ga0.47As with an Al2O3 cap were employed as a gate dielectric. A low interfacial density of states of (8–9)×1011 eV-1 cm-2 near the midgap has been measured using the conductance method. The strong Y2O3/InGaAs interfacial bonding, revealed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, enables attainment of an atomically smooth interface with 750 °C annealing. Low subthreshold swing of 97 mV/decade, high drain current of 1.5 mA/µm, high transconductance of 0.77 mS/µm, and field-effect mobility of 2,100 cm2 V-1 s-1 were achieved in a self-aligned inversion-channel InGaAs metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect-transistor of 1 µm gate length.

Surface Passivation of GaSb(100) Using Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Y2O3 and Atomic Layer Deposition of Al2O3: A Comparative Study

Y2O3 and Al2O3 were deposited onto GaSb(100) surfaces by molecular beam epitaxy and atomic layer deposition, respectively. Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical measurements were used to probe the two oxide/semiconductor interfaces, which yielded very different behaviors. Highly surface-sensitive scans showed traces of SbOx and AsOx at the Y2O3 surface, which were removed during subsquent ALD Al2O3. The deposition of Y2O3 led to true inversion as indicated in capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics, small hysteresis and frequency dispersion, and low gate leakage. In contrast, for Al2O3/GaSb, the GaSb remained virtually intact, with Al2O3 bonding to the residual As, leading to poor C–V characteristics.

Atom-to-atom interactions for atomic layer deposition of trimethylaluminum on Ga-rich GaAs(001)-4 × 6 and As-rich GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surfaces: a synchrotron radiation photoemission study

High-resolution synchrotron radiation photoemission was employed to study the effects of atomic-layer-deposited trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water on Ga-rich GaAs(001)-4 × 6 and As-rich GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surfaces. No high charge states were found in either As 3d or Ga 3d core-level spectra before and after the deposition of the precursors. TMA adsorption does not disrupt the GaAs surface structure. For the (4 × 6) surface, the TMA precursor existed in both chemisorbed and physisorbed forms. In the former, TMA has lost a methyl group and is bonded to the As of the As-Ga dimer. Upon water purge, the dimethylaluminum-As group was etched off, allowing the now exposed Ga to bond with oxygen. Water also changed the physisorbed TMA into the As-O-Al(CH3)2 configuration. This configuration was also found in 1 cycle of TMA and water exposure of the (2 × 4) surface, but with a greater strength, accounting for the high interface defect density in the mid-gap region.

Achieving a Low Interfacial Density of States with a Flat Distribution in High-κ Ga2O3(Gd2O3) Directly Deposited on Ge

The interfacial density of states (Dit) distribution of high-κ dielectric Ga2O3(Gd2O3) [GGO] directly deposited on n-type Ge(100) without invoking any interfacial passivation layer (IPL) was established using conductance measurements and charge pumping (CP) technique. The conductance measurements yielded Dit values in the range of (1–4)×1011 cm-2 eV-1 from the mid-gap energy to the conduction band edge within the Ge band gap, which are consistent with the mean Dit value of ~2×1011 cm-2 eV-1 near the mid-gap obtained independently by the CP method. The flat Dit distribution at the conduction band edge compares favorably with those attained using IPLs such as SiO2/Si-cap and GeO2.

Perfecting the Al2O3/In0.53Ga0.47As interfacial electronic structure in pushing metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor device limits using in-situ atomic-layer-deposition

We performed interfacial electric and electronic studies of both in-situ and ex-situ atomic-layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 films on InGaAs. Self-aligned inversion-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) with a 1 μm gate length (Lg) from the in-situ sample have extrinsic drain currents (Id) of 1.8 mA/μm, transconductances (Gm) of 0.98 mS/μm, and an effective mobility (μeff) of 1250 cm2/V s. MOSFETs that employ ex-situ ALD-Al2O3 have an Id of 0.56 mA/μm, Gm of 0.28 mS/μm, and μeff of 410 cm2/V s. Synchrotron radiation photoemission reveals no AsOx residue at the Al2O3/InGaAs interface using the in-situ approach, whereas some AsOx residue is detected using the ex-situ method.