Improved electrical characteristics high-k gated MOS devices with in-situ remote plasma treatment in atomic layer deposition

Abstract

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices with in situ remote plasma treatment during high-k dielectric deposition are studied in this work. The EOT value and leakage current of the MOS device with in situ NH3 plasma treated high-k dielectrics can be significantly reduced to 0.83 nm and 1.7 × 10−3 A/cm2, respectively. The stress-induced flat-band voltage shifts and leakage current are obviously reduced as well. In-situ remote plasma treatment also provides a good approach of nitridation for high-k dielectrics. The oxygen vacancy can be passivated by nitrogen, which suppresses further oxygen diffusion and the formation of the oxygen vacancies. The in situ NH3 plasma treatment is useful for high performance MOS devices with good reliability.