Structural and Electrical Properties of Er2O3 Thin Films Deposited by RF Sputtering for Gate Dielectric Applications

Abstract

We report the structural and electrical properties of Erbium Oxide (Er2O3) thin films grown on p-Si (100) by RF sputtering. The structural and electrical of the films properties are correlated with the processing conditions. The structural characterization reveals that the films annealed at 900ºC, has large grain size as compared to the as-grown ones. A dielectric constant in the range 6-8 and an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of 4-5nm is observed. Annealing has reduced the hysteresis in the bi-directional capacitance-voltage characteristics by ~75%. Fixed oxide charges and interface charges, both of the order of 1012/cm2 is observed.