Improvement of SiGe oxide grown by electron cyclotron resonance using H2O vapor annealing

Abstract

The influence of low-temperature annealing in H2O vapor on electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) grown SiGe oxides is reported. Annealing the oxides in H2O vapor at 280 °C for 3 h 20 min, applied after annealing in forming gas at 450 °C for 30 min, has several important effects: It reduces oxide leakage current by up to four orders of magnitude, decreases the density of interface states, and results in a low fixed oxide charge density of −5.0×1010 cm−2 in comparison to those of the films subjected to annealing in forming gas only. In addition, higher cumulative dielectric breakdown fields up to 8 MV/cm have been achieved. From the results obtained it is evident that vapor annealing is beneficial for ECR-grown SiGe oxides.