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Epitaxial lanthanide oxide thin films on Si for high-k gate dielectric application: Growth optimization and defect passivation

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Abstract

Epitaxial layers of insulating binary lanthanide oxides have been considered as potential alternative to conventional SiO2 for gate dielectric application in future Si-based MOSFET devices, which was investigated in more detail for epitaxial Gd2O3 and Nd2O3 as model systems. Additionally, the ability to integrate epitaxial dielectric barrier layers into Si structures can usher also in a variety of novel applications involving oxide/silicon/oxide heterostructures in diverse nanoelectronic and quantum-effect devices. Although epitaxial layers of such ionic oxides with excellent structural quality can be grown using molecular beam epitaxy, they often exhibit poor electrical properties such as high leakage current density, flat band instability, poor reliability etc. owing to the presence of electrically active charge defects, generated either during the oxide layer growth or typical subsequent CMOS process steps. Based on the origin and individual character of these defects, we review various aspects of defect prevention and passivation which lead to a significant improvement in the dielectric properties of the heterostructures.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This paper reviews research results we have been working on for the last 10 years at the Institute of Electronic Materials and Devices, Leibniz University Hannover. We are grateful to all PhD students and scientist working with us on particular aspects of that challenging project. We also would like to thank all partners and friends in Germany and all over the world for intense collaboration and help. Finally, we acknowledge the support of various organisations, in particular DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), BMBF (Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie), DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), Humboldt Foundation, and GIF (German-Israel Foundation for Scientific Research and Development).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721302, India

    Ayan Roy Chaudhuri

  2. Institute of Electronic Materials and Devices, Leibniz University Hannover, D-30167, Hannover, Germany

    Andrea Fissel & Hans Jörg Osten

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  1. Ayan Roy Chaudhuri
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  2. Andrea Fissel
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  3. Hans Jörg Osten
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Correspondence to Ayan Roy Chaudhuri.

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This paper has been selected as an Invited Feature Paper.

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Roy Chaudhuri, A., Fissel, A. & Osten, H.J. Epitaxial lanthanide oxide thin films on Si for high-k gate dielectric application: Growth optimization and defect passivation. Journal of Materials Research 32, 699–716 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.22

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