Impact of Deposition and Annealing Temperature on Material and Electrical Characteristics of ALD HfO[sub 2]

Hafnium oxide is one of the most promising high- k materials to replace as a gate dielectric. Here we report material and electrical characterization of atomic layer deposition (ALD) hafnium oxide and the correlations between the results. The films were deposited at 200, 300, or 370°C and annealed in a nitrogen ambient at 550, 800, and 900°C. Results indicate that deposition temperature controls both the material and the electrical properties. Materials and electrical properties of films deposited at 200°C are most affected by annealing conditions compared to films deposited at higher temperatures. These films are amorphous as deposited and become polycrystalline after 800°C anneals. Voids are observed after a 900°C anneal for the 200°C deposited films. The 200°C deposited films have charge trapping and high leakage current following anneals at 900°C. The 300°C deposited films have lower chlorine content and remain void-free following high-temperature anneals. These films show a thickness-dependent crystal structure. Annealing the films reduces leakage current by four orders of magnitude. Finally, films deposited at 370°C have the highest density, contain the least amount of impurities, and contain more of the monoclinic phase of than those deposited at 300 and 200°C. The best electrical performance was obtained for films deposited at 370°C. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.