Patent ID: 7973352

Claim:
An integrated circuit capacitor, comprising: lower and upper capacitor electrodes; and a capacitor dielectric layer extending between said lower and upper capacitor electrodes, said capacitor dielectric layer comprising a composite of a first dielectric layer extending directly on said lower capacitor electrode, a second dielectric layer extending directly on said upper capacitor electrode and a third dielectric layer extending between the first and second dielectric layers, said third dielectric layer having a higher crystallization temperature characteristic relative to the first and second dielectric layers and a thickness less than respective thicknesses of the first and second dielectric layers; wherein the third dielectric layer is formed of Al 2 O 3 or AlN; and wherein the first and second dielectric layers are formed of ZrO 2 ; and wherein at least one of the first and second dielectric layers comprises nitrogen-doped ZrO 2 .