Alpha particle emission from platinum and its influence on DRAM operation

Abstract

Ferroelectrics such as SrTiO3 have been studied as DRAM capacitor insulators. Platinum is commonly used as their electrode material. However, platinum contains the isotope Pt190, emitting alpha particles which cause soft errors. The authors measured the alpha particle emissivity of platinum coated silicon wafers. The resultant emissivity is consistent with the calculation. The impact on DRAM operation was estimated.