Structural and electrical properties of Er-doped HfO2 and of its interface with Ge (001)
Er-doped HfO2 thin films with Er content ranging from 0% to 15% are deposited by atomic layer deposition on native oxide free Ge(001). The crystallographic phase is investigated by X-ray diffraction and is found to depend on the Er%. The cubic fluorite structure develops on Ge for Er% as low as 4% and is stable after annealing at 400C in N2. Microstrain increases with increasing the Er content within the fluorite structure. Time of flight secondary ion mass and electron energy loss spectroscopy evidence a Ge diffusion from the substrate that results in the formation of a Ge-rich interfacial region which does not present a structural discontinuity with the oxide. The diffusion of Ge is enhanced by the annealing and causes a reordering of the crystal lattice. In annealed films the interface defect density measured by low temperature conductance measurements is found to decrease with decreasing the Er content.
x-ray diffraction microstrain interface defect density doped-hfo2 conductance method