Trap state passivation improved hot-carrier instability by zirconium-doping in hafnium oxide in a nanoscale n-metal-oxide semiconductor-field effect transistors with high-k/metal gate

Hsi Wen Liu, Ting Chang Chang, Jyun Yu Tsai, Ching En Chen, Kuan Ju Liu, Ying Hsin Lu, Chien Yu Lin, Tseung-Yuen Tseng, Osbert Cheng, Cheng Tung Huang, Yi Han Ye

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Abstract

This work investigates the effect on hot carrier degradation (HCD) of doping zirconium into the hafnium oxide high-k layer in the nanoscale high-k/metal gate n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors. Previous n-metal-oxide semiconductor-field effect transistor studies demonstrated that zirconium-doped hafnium oxide reduces charge trapping and improves positive bias temperature instability. In this work, a clear reduction in HCD is observed with zirconium-doped hafnium oxide because channel hot electron (CHE) trapping in pre-existing high-k bulk defects is the main degradation mechanism. However, this reduced HCD became ineffective at ultra-low temperature, since CHE traps in the deeper bulk defects at ultra-low temperature, while zirconium-doping only passivates shallow bulk defects.

Original languageEnglish
Article number173504
Number of pages5
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume108
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 Apr 2016

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