Surface passivation via two-step grown nitrogen infused oxidation derived quaternary AlxZr1−xOyNz

Abstract

High dielectric constant (k) quaternary AlxZr1-xOyNz was fabricated for silicon (Si)-based metal–oxidesemiconductor (MOS) devices via nitrogen infused oxidation at 600 °C. A higher k value (30.2) was attained due to accumulation of nitrogen at the oxide-Si interface to impede interfacial layer formation, yielding a reduced average oxide thickness. The presence of nitrogen was verified via detection of absorption spectra for Si-N and Si-N-Si. Interface quality of AlxZr1−xOyNz was investigated using Terman’s, high-low frequency, and conductance methods. The acquisition of low effective oxide charge and slow trap density further supported that AlxZr1−xOyNz possessed good passivation property for potential use in MOS devices.