N incorporation into ALD HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectric using ion implantation [MOSFET application]

• Main Authors: Li, H.-J., Pompl, T., Young, C., Rhoad, T., Saulters, J., Peterson, J., Gardner, M., Brown, G.A., Bersuker, G., Zeitzoff, P.M., Price, J., Hung, P.Y., Diebold, A., Huff, H.R.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: CMOS process; Electric variables measurement; Fabrication; Fluid flow measurement; Hafnium oxide; High K dielectric materials; High-K gate dielectrics; Ion implantation; Nitrogen; Pulse measurements
• ISSN: 1548-3770; 2640-6853
• DOI: 10.1109/DRC.2004.1367760

A fabrication process for HfON, using ion implantation of N/sub 2/ in ALD HfO/sub 2/, was demonstrated. Results showed that a good quality HfON could be formed by N/sub 2/ implantation, which suggests nitrogen implantation can be an alternative high-k nitridation technique. This process was successfully integrated into a traditional CMOS flow and the electrical and reliability results of HfON, as compared to HfO/sub 2/, showed 10 times less Vt shift in the pulsed Id-Vg measurement and up to 70% gate leakage reduction. In addition, EOT, electron/hole mobility, TDDB and subthreshold slope of HfON also performed better than those of HfO/sub 2/. A model is proposed to explain the result by attributing the improvement to the reduction of defect states (oxygen vacancies) in the HfO/sub 2/ film by the presence of N in the HfON film.