Method to neutralize fixed charges in high K dielectric
US6566205B1 · kind B1 · utility
19Cited by
16References
27Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 11, 2002 |
| Grant date | May 20, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 11, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/02189
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
To achieve a lower operating gate voltage for an FET, while avoiding breakdown and similar problems, a high K dielectric such as aluminum or zirconium oxide can be used As deposited, these materials tend to have a high density of trapped charge. The present invention discloses how such charge may be neutralized by impregnating the high K dielectric layer with between about 5 and 10 atomic percent of nitrogen. Several methods for introducing the nitrogen are described. These include diffusion from an overlay of silicon nitride, diffusion from a gas source, remote plasma nitridation, and decoupled plasma nitridation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.