Systematic study on work-function-shift in metal/Hf-based high-k gate stacks

Change in the work function (WF) of the gate electrode material caused by the contact with Hf-based high-k gate dielectrics was investigated by means of the flat-band voltage (Vfb) shift in capacitance-voltage curves, and the interface dipole, which modifies the WF, was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We observed a negative Vfb shift and corresponding interface dipole, which suggest the formation of oxygen vacancy (VO) in the Hf-based oxides. In contrast, we observed an opposite (positive) Vfb shift and interface dipole when Au electrodes were formed on cleaned Hf-based dielectrics. This indicates that Au–Hf bond hybridization at the Au/HfSiON interface also causes effective WF modulation, as theoretically predicted by Shiraishi et al. (Tech. - Dig. Int. Electron Devices Meet. 2005, 43)