Nitridation of hafnium oxide by reactive sputtering

Hafnium oxide films were RF sputtered from HfO2 target in Ar/O2 or Ar/N2 ambient on silicon substrates. The composition of the deposited films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For samples sputtered in Ar/N2, it was observed that nitrogen was incorporated in the bulk of hafnium oxide films in the form of HfON, and SiON layer was formed at the silicon-insulator interface. After annealing the hafnium oxide films at 600-700 °C, MOS structures were fabricated and used for electrical characterization. The effects of nitridation of hafnium oxide on both the capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of the MOS capacitors were discussed.Department of Applied PhysicsDepartment of Electronic and Information Engineerin