Modeling Nanoscale Current Conduction in HfO2 High-k Dielectrics

[[abstract]]Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling and a two-trap-assisted tunneling (TTAT) model were adopted to describe the nanoscale current-voltage (I-V) curves of the atomic layer deposited (ALD) HfO2 before hard breakdown. Not including the hard breakdown region, all current conduction regions could be correctly simulated. Our simulation results indicated that the traps were mainly generated within one third of the oxide thickness and that the plateau region in the I-V curves was due to the increased contribution of TTAT current in the total oxide conduction current. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics[[note]]SC