Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

Properties of Zr Silicate and Zr-Si Oxynitride High-k Dielectric Alloys for Advanced Microelectronic Applications; Chemical and Electrical Characterizations

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dc.contributor Gerald Lucovsky, Committee Chair
dc.contributor Jon-Paul Maria, Committee Member
dc.contributor Robert Nemanich, Committee Member
dc.contributor Carl Osburn, Committee Member
dc.creator Ju, Byongsun
dc.date 2010-04-02T19:14:24Z
dc.date 2010-04-02T19:14:24Z
dc.date 2005-09-27
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-28T17:08:51Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-28T17:08:51Z
dc.identifier etd-06292005-115452
dc.identifier http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/5469
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/265756
dc.description As the microelectronic devices are aggressively scaled down to the 1999 International Technology Roadmap, the advanced complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is required to increase packing density of ultra-large scale integrated circuits (ULSI). However, SiO2 or Si oxynitride (SiOxNy) films which is a traditional gate oxide materials shows its limitations in direct tunneling current density at the below about 3nm thickness, and moreover, the priority of leakage current is ranked high in device performance and reliability as the portable device prevails. High-k alternative dielectrics can provide the required levels of EOT for device scaling at larger physical thickness, thereby providing a materials pathway for reducing the tunneling current. Zr silicates and its end members (SiO2 and ZrO2) and Zr-Si oxynitride films, (ZrO2)x(Si3N4)y(SiO2)z, have been deposited using a remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RPECVD) system. After deposition of Zr silicate, the films were exposed to He/N2 plasma to incorporate nitrogen atoms into the surface of films. The amount of incorporated nitrogen atoms was measured by on-line Auger electron spectrometry (AES) as a function of silicate composition and showed its local minimum around the 30% silicate. Characterization by AES and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the nitrogen atoms were substituted for the oxygen atoms' position and made a bond with Si and Zr depending on the silicate composition. The effect of nitrogen atoms on capacitance-voltage (C-V) and leakage-voltage (J-V) were also investigated by fabricating metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. Results suggested that incorporating nitrogen into silicate decreased the leakage current in SiO2-rich silicate, whereas the leakage increased in the middle range of silicate. The pseudo-ternary alloy composition was determined by Rutherford back scattering (RBS) that was calibrated by on-line Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and showed the composition's thermodynamically stable boundary composition in ternary phase diagrams. Zr-Si oxynitride was a pseudo-ternary alloy and no phase separation was detected by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis up to 1100°C annealing. The leakage current of Zr-Si oxynitride films showed two different temperature dependent activation energies, 0.02 eV for low temperature and 0.3 eV for high temperature. Poole-Frenkel emission was the dominant leakage mechanism. Zr silicate alloys with no Si3N4 phase were chemically separated into the SiO2 and ZrO2 phase as annealed above 900°C. While chemical phase separation in Zr silicate films with Si3N4 phase (Zr-Si oxynitride) were suppressed as increasing the amount of Si3N4 phase due to the narrow bonding network in Si3N4 phase. (3.4 bonds/atom for Si3N4 network, 2.67 bonds/atom for SiO2 network)
dc.rights I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.
dc.subject High-k
dc.subject pseudo-binary(ternary)
dc.subject Gate dielectric
dc.title Properties of Zr Silicate and Zr-Si Oxynitride High-k Dielectric Alloys for Advanced Microelectronic Applications; Chemical and Electrical Characterizations


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