Patent · US Expired

Transistor with layered high-K gate dielectric and method therefor

US6717226B2 · kind B2 · utility

30Cited by
14References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 15, 2002
Grant dateApr 6, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 15, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D64/693
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A transistor device has a gate dielectric with at least two layers in which one is hafnium oxide and the other is a metal oxide different from hafnium oxide. Both the hafnium oxide and the metal oxide also have a high dielectric constant. The metal oxide provides an interface with the hafnium oxide that operates as a barrier for contaminant penetration. Of particular concern is boron penetration from a polysilicon gate through hafnium oxide to a semiconductor substrate. The hafnium oxide will often have grain boundaries in its crystalline structure that provide a path for boron atoms. The metal oxide has a different structure than that of the hafnium oxide so that those paths for boron in the hafnium oxide are blocked by the metal oxide. Thus, a high dielectric constant is provided while preventing boron penetration from the gate electrode to the substrate.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.