Fabrication and Characterization of amorphous Lanthanum Zirconate Gate Capacitors

Abstract

A novel high-k gate dielectric material, i.e., Lanthanum-doped Zirconium oxide (La-doped ZrO2), has been thoroughly studied for applications in future metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The film's structural, chemical and electrical properties are investigated experimentally. The incorporation of La into ZrO2 impacted the electrical properties in terms of leakage current while not sacrificing its dielectric constant. The dielectric constant of 25 is achieved which is calculated from the C-V analysis taken from Agilent 1500A Semiconductor Device Analyzer. XRD, FTIR, EDX analysis were conducted to confirm the stoichiometry and bond formation of La2Zr2O7. The sol-gel spin coating method is adopted to form a uniform thin film over p-Silicon substrate and Aluminium is evaporated in the eBeam technique as gate electrode to form an MIS capacitor. The La-doped ZrO2 film is hence a potential high-k gate dielectric for future application in MIS thin film transistors.