Influence of the oxygen concentration of atomic-layer-deposited HfO2 films on the dielectric property and interface trap density

The influence of the ozone concentration (160–370g∕m3) during atomic layer deposition of HfO2-gate dielectrics on the dielectric performance of the films grown on Si was studied. Although ozone was effective in reducing the impurity concentration in the film compared to H2O, the higher concentration slightly deteriorated the dielectric performance. More importantly, the degradation in the interface trap property with increasing post-annealing temperature became more serious as the ozone concentration increased. Investigation of the interface states using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the excessive oxygen incorporated during the film growth made the interfacial sub-oxide species (SiO, Si2O3, and silicate) and SiO2 coordinate more with oxygen. This increased the interface trap density and degraded the interface properties.