Electrical and structural properties of high- k Er-silicate gate dielectric formed by interfacial reaction between Er and Si O 2 films

The authors investigate the electrical and structural properties of high- k Er-silicate film formed by the interfacial reaction between Er and Si O 2 films. The increase in rapid thermal annealing temperature leads to the reduction of the interface trap density by one order of magnitude, indicating the improvement in the interface quality of Er-silicate gate dielectric. The increased capacitance value of Er-silicate gate dielectric with thermal treatment is attributed in part to the reduction of Si O 2 thickness and to the increase in the relative dielectric constant of Er-silicate film caused by the chemical bonding change from Si-rich to Er-rich silicate.