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Physical-Chemical Evolution upon Thermal Treatments of Al2O3, HfO2 and Al/Hf Composite Materials Deposited by ALCVD™

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

B. Crivelli
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
M. Alessandri
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
S. Alberici
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
F. Cazzaniga
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
D. Dekadjevi
Affiliation:
Laboratorio MDM-INFM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
J. W. Maes
Affiliation:
ASM International, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
G. Ottaviani
Affiliation:
Department of Physic and Unita' INFM – University of Modena, 41100 Modena, Italy
G. Pavia
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
G. Queirolo
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
S. Santucci
Affiliation:
Department of Physic and Unita' INFM – University of L'Aquila, 67010 Coppito (AQ), Italy
F. Zanderigo
Affiliation:
STMicroelectronics, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Italy
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Abstract

This paper presents a systematic investigation of thermal stability of high-k materials deposited on RCA cleaned wafers by ALCVD™ in an ASM Pulsar™ 2000 reactor. Physical-chemical evolution of Al2O3, HfO2 and Al/Hf composite materials (nanolaminate and aluminates) was studied considering two types of thermal treatments: quenched vacuum anneals from 300°C to 900°C and furnace atmospheric processes in N2 or O2 at 850°C and 900°C. Material crystallization and changes in film structure were studied by means of TEM, XRD, XRR, XRF, RBS and TOF-SIMS. Non-contact electrical measurements were used to detect modification in EOT and fixed charge. Al2O3 was found still amorphous at 900°C. Not so for HfO2 that crystallized in monoclinic phase at a temperature between 300–400°C. Crystallization temperature and possible phase separation of Al/Hf composite materials were found to be a function of Al2O3 content and film type. In most of these samples, however, a chemical evolution was detected in addition to the above reported crystallization phenomena. All the achieved results demonstrate that depending on thermal treatment conditions, ALCVD™ high-k stability does not only concern phase transition effects but also a transformation of the “SiO2/high-k” system into “doped-SiO2/silicate” stack.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

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References

REFERENCES

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