Atomic layer deposition of ZrO2/La2O3 high-k dielectrics on germanium reaching 0.5 nm equivalent oxide thickness

Abstract

We investigate ultrathin ZrO2/La2O3 high-k dielectric stacks on germanium grown by atomic layer deposition. La2O3 is deposited from tris(N,N′-diisopropylformamidinate)-lanthanum and oxygen. Interfacial layer-free oxide stacks with a relative dielectric constant of 21 and equivalent oxide thickness values as low as 0.5 nm are obtained. Metal oxide semiconductor capacitors with platinum as the gate electrode exhibit well-behaved capacitance-voltage characteristics, gate leakage current densities in the range of 0.01–1 A/cm2, and interface trap densities in the range of ∼3×1012 eV−1 cm−2.