Improving HfO₂ Thick Films for SiC Power Devices by Si, Y and La Doping

Abstract

We investigated the electrical and structural effects of silicon (Si), yttrium (Y) and lanthanum (La) doping in 10-45 nm thick hafnium dioxide (HfO2) films on silicon carbide (SiC) and Si substrates. We show that the introduction of Si dopants leads to a significant enhancement of the electric breakdown field and a reduction of the leakage current density by elevating the crystallization temperature. This effect becomes stronger with higher Si content. In contrast, Y and La doping does not raise TC but increases the tetragonal and orthorhombic phase portion within the crystalline films and therefore enhances the dielectric constant k. Furthermore, we show that larger grains in crystalline films are associated with a higher leakage current density.