Search

Interconnect resistance and reliability have emerged as critical factors limiting the performance of advanced CMOS circuits. With the slowdown of transistor scaling, interconnect scaling has become the primary driver of continued circuit miniaturization. The associated scaling challenges for interconnects are expected to further intensify in future CMOS technology nodes. As interconnect dimensions approach the 10 nm scale, the limitations of conventional Cu dual-damascene metallization are becoming increasingly difficult to overcome, spurring over a decade of focused research into alternative metallization schemes. The selection of alternative metals is a highly complex process, requiring consideration of multiple criteria, including resistivity at reduced dimensions, reliability, thermal performance, process technology readiness, and sustainability. This Tutorial introduces the fundamental criteria for benchmarking and selecting alternative metals and reviews the current state of the art in this field. It covers materials nearing adoption in high-volume manufacturing, materials currently under active research, and potential future directions for fundamental study. While early alternatives to Cu metallization have recently been introduced in commercial CMOS devices, the search for the optimal interconnect metal remains ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuxAl1−x thin films with 0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.7 have been studied as potential alternatives for metallization of advanced interconnects. First-principles simulations were used to obtain the CuxAl1−x electronic structure and cohesive energy to benchmark different intermetallics and their prospects for interconnect metallization. Next, thin CuxAl1−x films were deposited by PVD with thicknesses in the range between 3 and 28 nm. The lowest resistivities of 9.5 μΩ cm were obtained for 28 nm thick stoichiometric CuAl and CuAl2 after 400 °C postdeposition annealing. Based on the experimental results, we discuss the main challenges for the studied aluminides from an interconnect point of view, namely, control of the film stoichiometry, the phase separation observed for off-stoichiometric CuAl and CuAl2, as well as the presence of a nonstoichiometric surface oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the spin-wave (SW) propagation in 3D periodic structures opens new possibilities for joining functional units placed on the different layers of the magnonic circuitry. In the path toward 3D magnonics, the main challenge is the fabrication of large-scale 3D magnetic structures with nanometric precision control of geometry and material composition. In this work, we study the dependence on the Ta spacer thickness of the magnonic band structure, measured by Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, of CoFeB/Ta/NiFe meander-shaped bilayers fabricated on pre-patterned Si substrate with thickness steps of 50 nm. Both propagating and stationary SW modes are observed. While the frequency of the dispersive mode slightly depends on the Ta spacer thickness, the frequency position of the three stationary modes in the lowest frequency range of the spectra significantly increases by increasing the Ta thickness. Micromagnetic calculations indicate that each of the three stationary modes is composed of a doublet of modes whose frequency separation, within each doublet, increases by increasing the mode frequency. The origin of this frequency separation is ascribed to the dynamic dipolar coupling between the magnetic layers that generate a significant frequency nonreciprocity of counterpropagating SWs. For these reasons, the investigated structures offer potential application as the nonreciprocal versatile interconnections performing the frequency selective regimes of signal propagation in magnonic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report on the characterization of the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient in Ba-substituted Pb(Zr, Ti)O3/Co40Fe40B20 (BPZT/CoFeB) nanoscaled waveguides with lateral dimensions of 700 nm using propagating spin-wave spectroscopy. The characterization was conducted in a Damon–Eshbach configuration to maximize the magnetoelastic coupling strength, as predicted by strain distribution calculations using finite element simulations. The spin-wave resonance frequency is controlled by applying bias voltages on the magnetoelectric waveguide. The magnitude of the frequency shift was correlated with the strength of the magnetoelastic field, which reached a maximum value of 5.71 mT in our experiments. In addition, the results demonstrated that the coupling coefficient behavior is associated with the hysteretic ferroelectric nature of BPZT, reaching a maximum value of 1.69 mT/V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a tutorial overview over recent vigorous efforts to develop computing systems based on spin waves instead of charges and voltages. Spin-wave computing can be considered a subfield of spintronics, which uses magnetic excitations for computation and memory applications. The Tutorial combines backgrounds in spin-wave and device physics as well as circuit engineering to create synergies between the physics and electrical engineering communities to advance the field toward practical spin-wave circuits. After an introduction to magnetic interactions and spin-wave physics, the basic aspects of spin-wave computing and individual spin-wave devices are reviewed. The focus is on spin-wave majority gates as they are the most prominently pursued device concept. Subsequently, we discuss the current status and the challenges to combine spin-wave gates and obtain circuits and ultimately computing systems, considering essential aspects such as gate interconnection, logic level restoration, input–output consistency, and fan-out achievement. We argue that spin-wave circuits need to be embedded in conventional complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) circuits to obtain complete functional hybrid computing systems. The state of the art of benchmarking such hybrid spin-wave–CMOS systems is reviewed, and the current challenges to realize such systems are discussed. The benchmark indicates that hybrid spin-wave–CMOS systems promise ultralow-power operation and may ultimately outperform conventional CMOS circuits in terms of the power-delay-area product. Current challenges to achieve this goal include low-power signal restoration in spin-wave circuits as well as efficient spin-wave transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the characteristics of electrically transduced Damon–Eshbach spin-wave (DESW) and backward volume spin-wave (BVSW) configurations within the same, 30 nm thick, ferromagnetic, CoFeB waveguide. Sub-micrometer U-shaped antennas are used to deliver the necessary in-plane and out-of-plane RF fields. We measure the spin-wave transmission with respect to in-plane field orientation, frequency, and propagation distance. Unlike DESW, BVSWs are reciprocally transduced and collected for either direction of propagation, but their ability to transport energy is lower than DESWs for two reasons. This arises first because BVSWs are inductively transduced less efficiently than DESWs. Also, in the range of wavevectors (∼5 rad μm−1) typically excited by our antennas, the group velocity of BVSWs stays lower than that of DESW, which leads to reduced propagation ability that impact transmission signals in an exponential manner. In contrast, the group velocity of DESWs is maximum at low fields and decreases continuously with the applied field. The essential features of the measured SW characteristics are well reciprocated by a simple, 1D analytical model, which can be used to assess the potential of each configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the thin film resistivity of several platinum-group metals (Ru, Pd, Ir, and Pt). Platinum-group thin films show comparable or lower resistivities than Cu for film thicknesses below about 5 nm due to a weaker thickness dependence of the resistivity. Based on experimentally determined mean linear distances between grain boundaries as well as ab initio calculations of the electron mean free path, the data for Ru, Ir, and Cu were modeled within the semiclassical Mayadas-Shatzkes model [Phys. Rev. B 1, 1382 (1970)] to assess the combined contributions of surface and grain boundary scattering to the resistivity. For Ru, the modeling results indicated that surface scattering was strongly dependent on the surrounding material with nearly specular scattering at interfaces with SiO2 or air but with diffuse scattering at interfaces with TaN. The dependence of the thin film resistivity on the mean free path is also discussed within the Mayadas-Shatzkes model in consideration of the experimental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the resonant excitation of spin waves in micro-structured magnetic thin films by short-wavelength surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The spin waves as well as the acoustic waves are studied by micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. At low magnetic bias fields, a resonant phonon–magnon conversion is possible, which results in the excitation of short-wavelength spin waves. Using micromagnetic simulations, we verify that during this excitation both energy and linear momentum are conserved and fully transferred from the SAW to the spin wave. This conversion can already be detected after an interaction length of a few micrometers. Thus, our findings pave the way for miniaturized magneto-elastic spin-wave emitters for magnon computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferroelectric properties and crystal structure of doped HfO2 thin films were investigated for different thicknesses, electrode materials, and annealing conditions. Metal-ferroelectric-metal capacitors containing Gd:HfO2 showed no reduction of the polarization within the studied thickness range, in contrast to hafnia films with other dopants. A qualitative model describing the influence of basic process parameters on the crystal structure of HfO2 was proposed. The influence of different structural parameters on the field cycling behavior was examined. This revealed the wake-up effect in doped HfO2 to be dominated by interface induced effects, rather than a field induced phase transition. TaN electrodes were shown to considerably enhance the stabilization of the ferroelectric phase in HfO2 compared to TiN electrodes, yielding a Pr of up to 35 μC/cm2. This effect was attributed to the interface oxidation of the electrodes during annealing, resulting in a different density of oxygen vacancies in the Gd:HfO2 films. Ab initio simulations confirmed the influence of oxygen vacancies on the phase stability of ferroelectric HfO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical four-terminal sensing at (sub-)micrometer scales enables the characterization of key electromagnetic properties within the semiconductor industry, including materials' resistivity, Hall mobility/carrier density, and magnetoresistance. However, as devices' critical dimensions continue to shrink, significant over/underestimation of properties due to a by-product Joule heating of the probed volume becomes increasingly common. Here, we demonstrate how self-heating effects can be quantified and compensated for via 3ω signals to yield zero-current transfer resistance. Under further assumptions, these signals can be used to characterize selected thermal properties of the probed volume, such as the temperature coefficient of resistance and/or the Seebeck coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on a monitoring system for fiber laser fusion cutting based on a high-speed camera with spectral sensitivity in the visible spectral range. Without external illumination, the monitoring system is applied to a conventional cutting head with the optical detection path being coaxially aligned to the incident laser. It thus allows for the direct, spatially, and temporally resolved detection of the melt pool area in the cut kerf from the top view. The dependencies of the melt pool geometry on laser machining parameters can hence be evaluated. With different laser powers, feed rates, and assist gas pressures, incomplete cuts are forced in mild steel with sheet thicknesses ranging from 1 to 10 mm. The measured signal characteristics of the images captured from the melt pool are examined in the visible spectral range of the emitted, secondary thermal radiation from the process zone. Based on a specifically developed algorithm applied to the captured images, the authors are able to differentiate between complete and incomplete cuts with a distinguished detection probability of 94%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of compact tunable yttrium iron garnet (YIG)-based RF resonators based on μm-sized spin-wave cavities. Inductive antennas with both ladder and meander configurations were used as transducers between spin waves and RF signals. The excitation of ferromagnetic resonance and standing spin waves in the YIG cavities led to sharp resonances with quality factors up to 350. The observed spectra were in excellent agreement with a model based on the spin-wave dispersion relations in YIG, showing a high magnetic field tunability of about 29 MHz/mT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the spin-wave propagation in three-dimensional nanoscale CoFeB/Ta/NiFe meander structures fabricated on a structured SiO2/Si substrate. The magnonic band structure has been experimentally determined by wavevector-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy and a set of stationary modes interposed by two dispersive modes of Bloch type have been identified. The results could be understood by micromagnetic and finite element simulations of the mode distributions in both real space and the frequency domain. The dispersive modes periodically oscillate in frequency over the Brillouin zones and correspond to modes, whose spatial distributions extend over the entire sample and are either localized exclusively in the CoFeB layer or the entire CoFeB/Ta/NiFe magnetic bilayer, with in-phase precession of the dynamic magnetization in the two layers. Low-frequency stationary modes are concentrated in horizontal segments of the topmost NiFe layer with sizeable amplitudes in the vertical CoFeB and NiFe segments and out-of-phase precession. The findings are compared with those of single-layer CoFeB meander structures with the same geometry parameters, which reveals the influence of the dipolar coupling between the two ferromagnetic layers on the magnonic band structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin wave modes in magnetic waveguides with the width down to 320 nm have been studied by electrical propagating spin-wave spectroscopy and micromagnetic simulations for both longitudinal and transverse magnetic bias fields. For longitudinal bias fields, a 1.3 GHz wide spin-wave band was observed in agreement with analytical dispersion relations for uniform magnetization. However, the transverse bias field led to several distinct bands, corresponding to different quantized width modes, with both negative and positive slopes. Micromagnetic simulations showed that, in this geometry, the magnetization was nonuniform and tilted due to the strong shape anisotropy of the waveguides. Simulations of the quantized spin-wave modes in such nonuniformly magnetized waveguides resulted in spin wave dispersion relations in good agreement with the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature coefficients of the resistivity (TCR) of Cu, Ru, Co, Ir, and W thin films have been investigated as a function of film thickness below 10 nm. Ru, Co, and Ir show bulk-like TCR values that are rather independent of the thickness, whereas the TCR of Cu increases strongly with the decreasing thickness. Thin W films show negative TCR values, which can be linked to high disorder. The results are qualitatively consistent with a temperature-dependent semiclassical thin-film resistivity model that takes into account phonon, surface, and grain boundary scattering. The results indicate that the thin-film resistivity of Ru, Co, and Ir is dominated by grain boundary scattering, whereas that of Cu is strongly influenced by surface scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By its very nature, Spin Wave (SW) interference provides intrinsic support for Majority logic function evaluation. Due to this and the fact that the 3-input Majority (MAJ3) gate and the inverter constitute a universal Boolean logic gate set, different MAJ3 gate implementations have been proposed. However, they cannot be directly utilized for the construction of larger SW logic circuits as they lack a key cascading mechanism, i.e., fanout capability. In this paper, we introduce a novel ladder-shaped SW MAJ3 gate design able to provide a maximum fanout of 2 (FO2). The proper gate functionality is validated by means of micromagnetic simulations, which also demonstrate that the amplitude mismatch between the two outputs is negligible, proving that an FO2 is properly achieved. Additionally, we evaluate the gate area and compare it with SW state-of-the-art and 15 nm CMOS counterparts working under the same conditions. Our results indicate that the proposed structure requires a 12× less area than the 15 nm CMOS MAJ3 gate and that at the gate level, the fanout capability results in 16% area savings, when compared to the state-of-the-art SW majority gate counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TaCN layers were deposited using metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition for applications as metal gate electrodes in p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (pMOS) devices. The films were formed by thermal decomposition of tertiary-amylimido-tris(dimethylamido)tantalum (TAIMATA®) between 400 and 600 °C. The composition was dependent on the growth temperature with increasing C and decreasing N content at higher temperature. Films grown below 500 °C were nearly amorphous and became weakly polycrystalline with a cubic structure at higher growth temperature. The layer density was ∼8.1 g/cm3, about half of the TaCN bulk density. Grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy showed that the films consist of small polycrystalline grains in an amorphous matrix. The resistivity was found to decrease with increasing growth temperature. Lowest resistivity values were around 1 mΩ cm for films grown at 600 °C. The films formed an ∼4 nm thick insulating surface oxide, which leads to a thickness dependence of the film resistivity. Oxygen was also found to diffuse slowly into the bulk metal, which leads to a resistivity aging effect. The effective work function of the TaCN films was found to be 4.8 eV on HfSiO4 and HfSiON and to shift weakly by high thermal budget annealing toward the Si valence band, reaching 4.9 eV on HfSiO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss methods for imaging the nonequilibrium spin polarization of electrons in Fe/GaAs spin transport devices. Both optically and electrically injected spin distributions are studied by scanning magneto-optical Kerr rotation microscopy. Related methods are used to demonstrate electrical spin detection of optically injected spin-polarized currents. Dynamical properties of spin transport are inferred from studies based on the Hanle effect, and the influence of strain on spin transport data in these devices is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial Ni[sub 2]MnGa and Ni[sub 2]Mn[sub 1.2]Ga[sub 0.8] thin films have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates with Sc[sub 0.3]Er[sub 0.7]As interlayers. Structural characterization of as-grown films confirms the epitaxially stabilized single crystal structure of the films and indicates that the films grow pseudomorphically on GaAs (001) substrates in a tetragonal structure (a=b=5.65 Å, c=6.18 Å). The films are ferromagnetic at room temperature with coercivity of ∼50 Oe, saturation magnetization of ∼250 emu/cm3, and weak in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The Curie temperature of the films is found to be ∼340 K. However, while the films were attached to the substrate martensitic phase transformations were not observed. In order to observe martensitic phase transformations, free-standing Ni[sub 2]MnGa bridges and cantilevers were fabricated using front and back side photolithography together with a combination of dry and wet etching. After removal of the substrate, the free-standing bridges and cantilevers showed a unique temperature dependent shape. Observation using a polarized-light optical microscope during repeated thermocycling showed large movement of the cantilevers, confirming a two-way shape memory effect in the free-standing films. Using 100 μm long free-standing bridges, field induced strain or the ferromagnetic shape memory effect was observed in a stoichiometric Ni[sub 2]MnGa sample at 135 K with the magnetic fields perpendicular to the sample surface. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thick layers of GaN on AlN, AlN on GaN, and InN on GaN were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Their plastic strain relaxation was studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The results are consistent with a mechanism of progressive introduction of misfit dislocations based on the coalescence of dynamically formed platelets. Due to the lack of proper gliding planes in the wurtzite structure, such dislocations are not mobile, leading to inhomogeneity of the strain state along the growth axis. The agreement between in situ RHEED and ex situ HRXRD measurements provides evidence that the strain state is frozen in during growth. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ga surface coverage during the growth of GaN by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (PAMBE) has been systematically studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction as a function of the Ga flux and the substrate temperature. As a consequence, a diagram is depicted, which describes the Ga surface coverage during PAMBE as function of growth conditions. In particular, we show that a region exists in this diagram, in which the Ga surface coverage is independent of fluctuations in the Ga flux or the substrate temperature and which forms a "growth window" for GaN growth. The influence of the Ga surface coverage on the GaN surface morphology and the growth kinetics is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which determined the influence of indium (In) on the growth of gallium nitrogen (GaN) in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Advantages of MBE resulting from the low pressure in growth chamber; Effect of In in the N-rich regime and GaN growth rate; Conclusion.

We present a new micro Hall effect measurement method using non-equidistant electrodes. We show theoretically and verify experimentally that it is advantageous to use non-equidistant electrodes for samples with low Hall sheet resistance. We demonstrate the new method by experiments where Hall sheet carrier densities and Hall mobilities of Ruthenium thin films (3-30 nm) are determined. The measurements show that it is possible to measure Hall mobilities as low as 1 cm2V−1s−1 with a relative standard deviation of 2-3%. We show a linear relation between measured Hall sheet carrier density and film thickness. Thus, the method can be used to monitor thickness variations of ultra-thin metal films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that a dynamically stable Ga film is formed on (0001) AlN in a large range of Ga fluxes at a substrate temperature of 740 °C. This feature allows for atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) of GaN on AlN by alternate exposure to Ga and N flux. We show that, at a growth temperature of 740 °C, one ALE cycle leads to the formation of a two-dimensional GaN layer, whereas further cycles lead to the formation of GaN quantum dots following a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. This behavior is confirmed by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and cathodoluminescence. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the excitation of spin waves in scaled magnetic waveguides using the magnetoelastic effect. In uniformly magnetized systems, normal strains parallel or perpendicular to the magnetization direction do not lead to spin wave excitation since the magnetoelastic torque is zero. Using micromagnetic simulations, we show that the nonuniformity of the magnetization in submicron waveguides due to the effect of the demagnetizing field leads to the excitation of spin waves for oscillating normal strains both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetization. The excitation by biaxial normal in-plane strain was found to be much more efficient than that by uniaxial normal out-of-plane strain. For narrow waveguides with a width of 200 nm, the excitation efficiency of biaxial normal in-plane strain was comparable to that of shear strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featuring low heat dissipation, devices based on spin-wave logic gates promise to comply with increasing future requirements in information processing. In this work, we present the experimental realization of a majority gate based on the interference of spin waves in an Yttrium-Iron-Garnetbased waveguiding structure. This logic device features a three-input combiner with the logic information encoded in a phase of 0 or π of the input spin waves. We show that the phase of the output signal represents the majority of the three phase states of the spin waves in the three inputs. A switching time of about 10 ns in the prototype device provides evidence for the ability of subnanosecond data processing in future down-scaled devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an all electrical experiment to perform the broadband phase-resolved spectroscopy of propagating spin waves in micrometer sized thin magnetic stripes. The magnetostatic surface spin waves are excited and detected by scaled down to 125 nm wide inductive antennas, which award ultra broadband wavevector capability. The wavevector selection can be done by applying an excitation frequency above the ferromagnetic resonance. Wavevector demultiplexing is done at the spin wave detector thanks to the rotation of the spin wave phase upon propagation. A simple model accounts for the main features of the apparatus transfer functions. Our approach opens an avenue for the all electrical study of wavevector-dependent spin wave properties including dispersion spectra or non-reciprocal propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scaling behavior of Gd- and Al-doped HfO2 films as gate dielectrics in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors was studied. For equivalent oxide thicknesses (EOTs) in the range of 10Å, crystallized Gd:HfO2 showed higher leakage current densities than crystallized Al:HfO2, with undoped HfO2 in between. Ultimately, the scalability of Al:HfO2 was limited by the ability to crystallize the films at a given thermal budget. As a result, for post-deposition annealing at 800 C, the EOT of Al:HfO2 based MOS capacitors was limited to ~8Å . However, for such an EOT, leakage current densities were reduced by about 100× with respect to HfO2. This demonstrates the high potential of Al:HfO2 for low-standby-power MOS devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of the ferroelectric polarization switching in orthorhombic HfO2 has been investigated by first principles calculations. The phenomenon can be regarded as being the coordinated displacement of four O ions in the orthorhombic unit cell, which can lead to a saturated polarization as high as 53 μC/cm². We show the correlation between the computed polarization reversal barrier and the experimental coercive fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the surface roughness during the atomic-layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3, NiO, and HfO2 was studied by atomic-force microscopy and nonspecular x-ray reflectance. The results indicate that the crystallinity of the films played a crucial role in the roughness evolution during ALD. While the ALD of amorphous oxide films showed replication of the initial starting surface with no roughness build-up, the ALD of polycrystalline oxide films led to a strong anomalous dependence of the roughness on the film thickness. This behavior is explained within a model taking into account spatial variations of the adsorption site density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al2O3 passivated n-doped Si substrates are investigated by second-harmonic generation (SHG) upon applying an external electric field by a corona wire. The observed change in the SHG response upon applying an external electric field is attributed to charge transfer in the semiconductor. Capacitance-voltage measurements are performed to affirm this conclusion. Upon applying a large negative electric field over the structure, a clear alteration in SHG signal is observed, which corresponds to tunneling of holes from the n-doped silicon into the aluminum oxide layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low barriers for electrons are found to be the reason for significant charge instability at interfaces of (100)InP and (100)In0.53Ga0.47As with atomic-layer deposited TaSiOx insulators. The formation of these reduced barriers is associated with the growth of a narrow-bandgap interlayer between the semiconductor and TaSiOx, which enables electron tunneling at low electric fields and subsequent trapping in the insulator. A wide-gap passivation layer may be required to improve the performance of TaSiOx as gate insulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, CMOS-compatible Ni/HfO2/TiN resistive random access memory stacks demonstrated attractive unipolar switching properties, showing >103 endurance and long retention at 150 °C. The Ni bottom electrode (BE) improved the switching yield over the NiSiPt BE. To better understand the unipolar forming mechanism, ab initio simulation and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectroscopy were utilized. Compared to the NiSiPt BE, Ni BE gives larger Ni diffusion in the HfO2 and lower formation enthalpy of Ni2+ species during electrical forming. Both the electrical and physical results supported a Ni-injection mechanism for the filament formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of gadolinium aluminate films by atomic layer deposition from gadolinium tris-di-isopropylacetamidinate and trimethylaluminium was studied. The consequences of using water versus ozone as the oxidant were studied. The effects of pulse lengths, metal source ratios, and temperature were noted. Depositing two cycles of gadolinium oxide per cycle of aluminum oxide was found to yield films with a stiochiometry of Gd1.04AlO3 and a growth rate of 2.2 Å in aggregate for each set of gadolinium and aluminum cycles. The deposition rate was found to be stable between 210 and 325 °C. The use of ozone instead of water as the oxygen source was found to reduce the film uniformity. The densities ranged from 3 to 6 g/cm3 depending on the Gd content of the films. The impurity contamination of the films was measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry and infrared absorption and found consistent with carboxylated species. Theextracted bandgap for the Gd1.04AlO3 films was 5.8 eV. The films were amorphous as deposited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium titanate (STO) is a dielectric with a cubic perovskite type structure and of increasing interest for microelectronics, especially in the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors due to its high dielectric constant. The dielectric constant of the STO films and consequently the performance of the MIM capacitors appear to be strongly influenced by the process conditions. In this work the authors report on the influence of various thermal treatments upon the crystallinity and morphology of strontium titanate crystals. The influence of spike, laser, or rapid thermal anneals on the morphology with respect to grain size and topography of the crystalline stoichiometric STO films is studied. Also, the use of a stack containing a Sr-rich STO (62% Sr) bottom seed layer and a stoichiometric STO top layer in combination with a thermal treatment was found to affect the microstructure of the STO film. A comparison of the electrical properties for various thermal treatments has been made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin film reactions and interface formation in advanced high-κ-metal-gate stacks containing rare-earth oxides have been studied. In particular, interfacial reactions of Dy2O3 and HfSiO4 with TiN- or TaCN-based metals were studied. It is shown that Dy diffusion is considerably stronger than Hf diffusion. It is further demonstrated that for TaCN-based materials, the material density and the microstructure are of much larger influence than the chemical composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the next generation high-k gate dielectrics has been defined for the 45 nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology node, threshold voltage control and equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) scaling remain concerns for future devices. Therefore, the authors explored the effect of incorporating dysprosium in the gate stack. Results suggest that improved EOT-leakage scaling is possible by adding Dy to the interfacial SiO2 layer in a 1:1 ratio or by adding 10% Dy to bulk HfO2. The deposition of a 1 nm Dy2O3 cap layer lowered the threshold voltage by ∼250 mV. In addition, for future dynamic random access memory capacitor applications, dielectrics with [variant_greek_epsilon] of 50–130 are projected by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, unachievable with standard high-k dielectrics. Theoretical modeling can help direct the experimental work needed for extensive screening of alternative dielectrics. Moreover, materials such as perovskites only exhibit a sufficiently high-k value when properly crystallized. Therefore, control over the crystalline phase of the material might become a necessity to obtain the proper material characteristics as shown for SrTiOx. After crystallization, the permittivity was observed to increase from 20 to 135. In addition, material and gate stack optimization to limit leakage current densities for these higher-k dielectrics will be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hf-based dielectrics are currently being introduced into complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors as replacement for SiON to limit gate leakage current densities. Alternative materials such as rare earth based dielectrics are of interest to obtain proper threshold voltages as well as to engineer a material with a high thermal stability. The authors have studied rare earth based dielectrics such as Dy2O3, DyHfOx, DyScOx, La2O3, HfLaOx, and LaAlOx by means of ellipsometry, time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The authors show that ellipsometry is an easy and powerful tool to study silicate formation. For ternary rare earth oxides, this behavior is heavily dependent on the composition of the deposited layer and demonstrates a nonlinear dependence. The system evolves to a stable composition that is controlled by the thermal budget and the rare earth content of the layer. It is shown that silicate formation can lead to a severe overestimation of the thermal stability of ternary rare earth oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of the native oxides from NH4OH-cleaned p-GaAs (100) by exposure to trimethyl-aluminum (TMA) was studied by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The reduction of high-valence As- and Ga-oxides occurred through different routes: while As3+ was reduced to As(1±Δ)+ suboxides (with 0 ≤ Δ ≤ 1), Ga3+ was directly removed. The surface Fermi level was shifted by about 100 meV towards the valence band edge upon TMA exposure. This indicates that removing the native oxide of GaAs by TMA is insufficient to create interfaces between GaAs and Al2O3 with defects densities below the 1012 cm-2 range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron barrier height measurements at TiNx/HfO2 interfaces in metal-insulator-metal structures using internal photoemission of electrons reveal a significant (≈1 eV, i.e., about 1/3 of the total barrier height) influence of the opposite electrode material, i.e., Hf versus TiNx. This effect is suggested to be caused by oxygen scavenging from HfO2 by the opposite Hf electrode resulting in generation of positive charges in the oxide above the metal electrode surfaces. Such a considerable interface dipole component demonstrates a principle that may be used to tune the barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the effect of air exposure on lanthanum aluminates (LaAlOx) deposited by atomic layer deposition. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy of as-deposited LaAlOx showed that H2O is absorbed during air exposure and that the amount of absorbed H2O increases with increasing La atomic percent. C was found to be incorporated already during deposition in the form of carbonates. H2O and CO2 are outgassed during postdeposition annealing in an inert atmosphere. After a 700 °C postdeposition anneal, the LaAlOx becomes resistant against H2O absorption due to film densification. Alternatively, in situ capping of the LaAlOx with a ∼2 nm thin Al2O3 film protects the LaAlOx against H2O absorption, but it also hinders the outgassing of the C contaminants during a postdeposition anneal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y2O3 films deposited by atomic vapor deposition on (100)Si with a 2 or 5 nm thick pregrown thermal SiO2 are investigated as possible charge trapping layers. Analysis of these structures using spectroscopic ellipsometry, photoconductivity, and internal photoemission reveals that Y2O3 has a 5.6 eV wide optical bandgap and a 2.0 eV conduction band offset with silicon. Photo(dis)charging experiments show that the optical energy depth of most of the traps exceeds 1.5 eV with respect to the Y2O3 conduction band, explaining the observed charge retention time of ∼108 s at room temperature, even in the absence of a blocking insulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay of interdiffusion and crystallization in HfO2/Al2O3 superlattices during spike annealing at 1050 °C was studied using x-ray reflectivity and x-ray diffraction. A transition in thermal stability was found as a function of HfO2 thickness between 2.3 and 3.2 nm. This transition is due to a crossover of HfO2 crystallization and amorphous HfO2/Al2O3 interdiffusion kinetics. For thin HfO2, amorphous HfO2 and Al2O3 interdiffuse and subsequently crystallize as HfAlOx into a cubic-HfO2-like phase. For thicker HfO2, HfO2 layers crystallize individually into the monoclinic phase. As a consequence, interdiffusion between HfO2 and Al2O3 is suppressed because of the immiscibility of Al2O3 in monoclinic HfO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism governing threshold voltage (Vt) modulation in NiSi/SiON n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors when doping with rare-earth elements (dysprosium or Dy in this work) is studied. In addition to the widely reported interface dipole theory, this letter provides additional evidence that the bulk trapping charges (related to the unintermixed Dy2O3 layer after device fabrication) can play an important role in determining the device Vt for the above-mentioned gate stacks. It is thus suggested that a careful design of the capping layer thickness and the thermal budget for intermixing the capping layer with host dielectrics is necessary to eliminate the impact from bulk trapping charges to the device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal stability of DyScO3 thin films in contact with SiO2 or HfO2 during annealing up to 1000 °C has been studied. It is found that DyScO3/SiO2 stacks react during annealing and a phase separation into polycrystalline Sc-rich (and relatively Si-poor) DySc silicate on top of an amorphous Dy-rich DySc silicate is observed. In contrast, DyScO3 is found to be thermodynamically stable in contact with HfO2 and to recrystallize upon annealing. These results demonstrate that the previously reported high crystallization temperature of >1000 °C for DyScO3 is not an intrinsic material property but caused by silicate formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]