Patent ID: 7521346

Claim:
A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising: providing a stack comprising, from top to bottom, a Hf oxide high k dielectric and an interfacial layer on a surface of a substrate; forming a HfSiN film on said stack, wherein said HfSiN film is formed by providing a Hf target and an atmosphere that comprises a mixture of Ar, N 2 , and a Si source diluted with from about 70 to 99% He and sputtering said HfSiN film from said Hf target in said atmosphere, wherein said Si source has the formula SiH 4-n R n wherein n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 and R is an aliphatic moiety containing from 1 to about 18 carbon atoms and the mixture of Ar, N 2 , and Si source has a flow rate from about 1-100/1-100/1-100 sccm, respectively; forming a Si-containing conductive material atop said HfSiN film; patterning said Si-containing conductive material, said HfSiN film and said stack into a patterned gate region; and annealing said Si-containing conductive material, said HfSiN film and said stack utilizing a first anneal in nitrogen at 1000° C., followed by a second anneal in a forming gas ambient at 450° C. to provide a gate stack structure in which the thickness of the interfacial layer is reduced and said gate stack has an equivalent oxide thickness of about 12 angstroms.