Growth of gadolinium oxide thin films by liquid injection MOCVD using a new gadolinium alkoxide precursor

The use of materials with a higher dielectric constant than SiO2 allows an equivalent capacitance to be achieved in an insulating layer, which should provide reduced leakage currents. Thin films of gadolinium oxide, GdOx, have been deposited by liquid injection MOCVD using the volatile gadolinium alkoxide precursor, [Gd(mmp)3] (mmp=1-methoxy-2-methyl-2-propanolate, OCMe2CH2OMe). Carbon-free GdO, films were grown over a wide range of substrate temperatures (300-600 DGC) on both Si(100) and GaAs(100) substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicated that GdO.r films grown on Si(100) were amorphous at low deposition temperatures, and crystalline with a C-type structure at growth temperatures of 450'C and above. GdOY films grown on GaAs at 450 deg C showed a strong preferred orientation, dominated by the (222) reflection.