Rutile-type TiO2 thin film for high-k gate insulator

We investigated rutile-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) films for possible use as a high-k gate insulator. The TiO2 thin films were directly deposited on Si substrates using a RF magnetron sputtering method with a sintered oxide target. A single phase of rutile-type TiO2 whose dielectric constant of approximately 75 was obtained when the film was deposited in an inert gas atmosphere and annealed at 800 degreesC in an oxidizing gas atmosphere. The oxygen ions were deficient in the as-deposited film, and consequently, a sufficient oxygen supply was needed to crystallize the film to a single phase of rutile during the post-annealing. However, the interfacial SiO2 layer between the TiO2 and the Si substrate simultaneously grew thicker than 2 nm. As the interfacial SiO2 grew, the leakage current was decreased and the equivalent oxide thickness was increased, in the Au/rutile-type TiO2/Si capacitor. Therefore, we concluded that the growth of the interfacial SiO2 layer thicker than 2 nm is inevitable to form the single phase of rutile-type TiO2 and to decrease the leakage. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.