Structure and Electrical Properties of Al-Doped HfO2 and ZrO2 Films Grown via Atomic Layer Deposition on Mo Electrodes

The effects of Al doping in atomic-layer-deposited HfO2 (AHO) and ZrO2 (AZO) films on the evolutions of their crystallographic phases, grain sizes, and electric properties, such as their dielectric constants and leakage current densities, were examined for their applications in high-voltage devices. The film thickness and Al-doping concentration were varied in the ranges of 60–75 nm and 0.5–9.7%, respectively, for AHO and 55–90 nm and 1.0–10.3%, respectively, for AZO. The top and bottom electrodes were sputtered Mo films. The detailed structural and electrical property variations were examined as functions of the Al concentration and film thickness. The AHO films showed a transition from the monoclinic phase (Al concentration up to 1.4%) to the tetragonal/cubic phase (Al concentration 2.0–3.5%), and finally, to the amorphous phase (Al concentration >4.7%), whereas the AZO films remained in the tetragonal/cubic phase up to the Al concentration of 6.4%. For both the AHO and AZO films, the monoclinic and amorphous phases had dielectric constants of 20–25, and the tetragonal/cubic phases had dielectric constants of 30–35. The highest electrical performance levels for the application to the high-voltage charge storage capacitors in flat panel displays were achieved with the 4.7–9.7% Al-doped AHO films and the 2.6% Al-doped AZO films.