Interfacial and structural characteristics of CeO sub 2 films on silicon with a nitrided interface formed by nitrogen-ion-beam bombardment

The interfacial characteristics of CeO sub 2/Si(100) with a nitrided layer were studied. The nitrided layer was formed by a process of nitrogen ion beam bombardment to the Si(100) substrate surface. Cerium oxide dielectric films were grown by pulsed laser deposition. The surface and structural characteristics of the nitrided layer were examined by atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The interfacial structural characteristics and electrical properties of CeO sub 2/Si(100) samples with and without the nitrided layer were analyzed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. The results show that the nitrided layer formed by nitrogen ion beam bombardment is a SiN sub xO sub y layer. Such a SiN sub xO sub y layer can effectively suppress the interfacial reactions between CeO sub 2 and Si and is helpful to form a thinner and stable interfacial layer at the CeO sub 2 /Si(100) interface. Meanwhile, the nitrided interfacial layer is also to induce the reduced leakage current of CeO sub 2/Si. 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.