High Quality HfO2 Film and Its Applications in Novel Poly-Si Devices

HfO2 as a dielectric material in MOS capacitor by direct sputtering of Hf in an O2 ambient onto a Si substrate was studied. The results showed that the interface layer formed between HfO2 and the Si substrate was affected by the RTA time in the 500°C annealing temperature. Since the interface layer is mainly composed of hafnium silicate, and has high interface trap density, the effective barrier height is therefore lowered with increased RTA time. The change in the effective barrier height will affect the FN tunneling current and the operation of the MOS devices when it is applied for nonvolatile memory devices.