Abstract
In this work, we study the structural and electrical properties of Hafnium Zirconium Oxide (HZO) thin films deposited by Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 single-target sputtering to fabricate a TiN/(14-/22 nm-thick) HZO/TiN stack. The structural analysis of the HZO thin films performed by in situ x-ray diffraction upon thermal annealing shows the formation of the HZO orthorhombic phase at annealing temperatures as low as 370 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy interestingly reveals an identical chemical composition of the deposited HZO thin films and the sputtered target, i.e., an Hf:Zr ratio of 1:1. The current–voltage characteristic of the TiN/HZO/TiN stack shows a current density of 10−5 A/cm2 at an applied electric field of 1 MV/cm, which, being rather low, gives a strong indication of the good electrical quality of the HZO layer. Finally, a butterfly-like capacitance–voltage loop is obtained on the TiN/HZO/TiN stack, indicating a ferroelectric behavior of the HZO layer.
Highlights
Owing to the increase in worldwide environmental awareness about the risk of using lead-containing (Pb) electronic devices, the replacement of lead-based materials from all the consumer items has become a global demand
In the first part of this paper, we study the impact of sputtering conditions on Hafnium Zirconium Oxide (HZO) film properties in terms of stoichiometry, chemical composition, deposition rate, and the interfaces within the stack using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray reflectivity (XRR) while highlighting the single-target sputtering advents
The HZO layer chemical composition was studied by XPS, which can yield the chemical bond nature through the analysis of the XPS peak chemical shift
Summary
Owing to the increase in worldwide environmental awareness about the risk of using lead-containing (Pb) electronic devices, the replacement of lead-based materials from all the consumer items has become a global demand. In 2017, Lee et al published a report on the fabrication of ferroelectric HZO films deposited by reactive co-sputtering through the investigation of the role of target power and working pressure, as well as the thermal annealing conditions.[25]. In the first part of this paper, we study the impact of sputtering conditions on HZO film properties in terms of stoichiometry, chemical composition, deposition rate, and the interfaces within the stack using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray reflectivity (XRR) while highlighting the single-target sputtering advents. The Ar and N2 gas flow rates were 40 and 5 SCCM, respectively Another sputtering chamber (Alliance Concept DP 850) was used to deposit the HZO thin film by using a Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 single target. The roughness of the films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on a Bruker Dimension ICON system in the tapping mode using VTESPA-300 probes
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