Characterization of gadolinium oxide film by pulse laser deposition

Abstract In this work, Gd-oxide dielectric films were deposited on Si by pulse laser deposition method (PLD), moreover, the micro-structures and electrical properties were reported. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that Gd-oxide was polycrystalline Gd2O3 structure, and no Gd metal phase was detected. In addition, both interface at Si and Ni fully silicide (FUSI) gate were smooth without the formation of Si-oxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the formation of Gd2O3 and gave an atom ratio of 1:1 for Gd:O, indicating O vacancies existed in Gd2O3 polycrystal matrix even at O2 partial pressure of 20 mTorr. Electrical measurements indicated that the dielectric constant of Gd-oxide film was 6 and the leakage current was 0.1 A/cm2 at gate bias of 1 V.