Three-Dimensional Metal-Insulator-Metal Decoupling Capacitors with Optimized ZrO2 ALD Properties for Improved Electrical and Reliability Parameters

Konstantinos Efstathios Falidas; Kati Kühnel; Matthias Rudolph; Maximilian B Everding; Malte Czernohorsky; Johannes Heitmann

doi:10.3390/ma15238325

Three-Dimensional Metal-Insulator-Metal Decoupling Capacitors with Optimized ZrO₂ ALD Properties for Improved Electrical and Reliability Parameters

Materials (Basel). 2022 Nov 23;15(23):8325. doi: 10.3390/ma15238325.

Authors

Konstantinos Efstathios Falidas¹, Kati Kühnel¹, Matthias Rudolph¹, Maximilian B Everding¹, Malte Czernohorsky¹, Johannes Heitmann²

Affiliations

¹ Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS), Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), An der Bartlake 5, 01109 Dresden, Germany.
² Institute of Applied Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Leipziger Str. 23, 09599 Freiberg, Germany.

Abstract

Embedded three-dimensional (3-D) metal-insulator-metal (MIM) decoupling capacitors with high-κ dielectric films of high capacitance and long-life time are increasingly needed on integrated chips. Towards achieving better electrical performance, there is a need for investigation into the influence of the variation in atomic layer deposition (ALD) parameters used for thin high-κ dielectric films (10 nm) made of Al₂O₃-doped ZrO₂. This variation should always be related to the structural uniformity, the electrical characteristics, and the electrical reliability of the capacitors. This paper discusses the influence of different Zr precursor pulse times per ALD cycle and deposition temperatures (283 °C/556 K and 303 °C/576 K) with respect to the capacitance density (C-V), voltage linearity and leakage current density (I-V). Moreover, the dielectric breakdown and TDDB characteristics are evaluated under a wide range of temperatures (223-423 K).

Keywords: 3-D MIM capacitors; Al-doping; MIM capacitors; ZrO2; decoupling capacitors; dielectric; high-κ.

Grants and funding

This research was funded via subcontract from Globalfoundries Dresden Module One within the framework Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), by the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy (BMWi) and by the State of Saxony.