(Invited) Rare Earth Materials for Semiconductor Applications

Abstract

Rare earth based oxides are researched for logic and memory semiconductor applications. Their hygroscopic nature and tendency to form silicates make them a challenging class of materials in respect of processing and stability. Using LaAlO3, LuAlO3, and GdAlO3 we have explored the impact of the oxidant, H2O or O3, during deposition, their stability when exposed to air, and their stability towards silicate formation. We show that the rare earth content of the material has a significant impact on the uniformity of the process using water-based atomic layer deposition as well as on the material stability during air exposure. We also describe silicate formation for these materials and demonstrate that an oxidation process can be used to make silicate layers with well-controlled composition.