Charging effect in HfO2 films deposited on SiO2/Si by atomic layer deposition

Thin films of hafnium oxide (HfO2) deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been studied extensively as a high-k replacement for the SiO2 gate in field effect transistors. The use of ALD process allows one to grow homogeneous thin films at low temperatures with a precise control of thickness [1]. Some important electrical considerations for the application of a high-k dielectric include the presence of fixed charge (Qf) and charge trapping in the dielectric. For instance, in the case of Al2O3 thin films deposited on Si, the thickness of the interfacial SiO2 layer was identified as a key fundamental parameter determining Qf [2]. A similar trend can be also expected in HfO2/Si structures. Therefore, in this work, we proposed an in situ evaluation of photon induced charge trapping in HfO2 films deposited on SiO2/Si structures. For that, tetrakis-di-methyl-amino-hafnium (TDMAHf) and H2O were employed as precursors to deposit HfO2 films on SiO2/Si samples with variable thickness of the SiO2 interlayer. Measurements were performed by Synchrotron Radiation Photoemission Spectroscopy (SR-PES). Results indicated that the charging process is dependent on the thickness of the SiO2 interlayer and on the quality of the HfO2 film. [1] M. Leskela and M. Ritala, Thin Solid Films 409, 138 (2002). [2] G. Dingemans et al., J. Appl. Phys. 110, 093715 (2011).