A CMOS process-compatible wet-etching recipe for the high-k gate dielectrics Pr2O3 and Pr2-xTixO3

The fabrication of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) structures with praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3) or titanium-doped praseodymium oxide (Pr2-xTixO3) (0 <= x <= 1) layers as integrated high-k gate dielectrics requires the development of a process-compatible etching recipe. Different wet-etching processes in acid-based chemistry were evaluated and solutions of diluted sulfuric acid were identified as suitable etchants for Pr2O3 and Pr2-xTixO3 layers on Si substrates. Metal-oxide-semiconductor stacks with poly-Si as the potential gate electrode were patterned with the help of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide as the selective etchant attacking the poly-Si gate electrode material but not the underlying Pr-based high-k gate dielectric layers. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.