Low temperature formation of higher-k cubic phase HfO2 by atomic layer deposition on GeOx/Ge structures fabricated by in-situ thermal oxidation

We have demonstrated a low temperature formation (300 degrees C) of higher-k HfO2 using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on an in-situ thermal oxidation GeOx interfacial layer. It is found that the cubic phase is dominant in the HfO2 film with an epitaxial-like growth behavior. The maximum permittivity of 42 is obtained for an ALD HfO2 film on a 1-nm-thick GeOx form by the in-situ thermal oxidation. It is suggested from physical analyses that the crystallization of cubic phase HfO2 can be induced by the formation of six-fold crystalline GeOx structures in the underlying GeOx interfacial layer. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.