Conduction Mechanisms and Breakdown Characteristics of $\hbox{Al}_{2}\hbox{O}_{3}$-Doped $\hbox{ZrO}_{2}$ High-$k$ Dielectrics for Three-Dimensional Stacked Metal–Insulator–Metal Capacitors

Abstract

This paper presents the results of I-V and constant-voltage-stress measurements on symmetrical dielectric ZrO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> /Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> /ZrO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> film stacks of different thicknesses. The films were grown by atomic layer deposition and structured into cylindrical metal-insulator-metal capacitors. The temperature-dependent leakage characteristics and time-dependent dielectric breakdown behaviors were investigated. A correlation was found between the structural composition, the defect density, and the conduction mechanism.