Tetragonal Dielectric Thin Films for Thin Capacitor Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
As electronic devices downscale, the reduction of dielectric layer thickness in capacitors leads to decreased breakdown voltage and increased leakage current, necessitating a dielectric material with a high dielectric constant while maintaining thin film thickness.
Innovation Solution
A dielectric thin-film structure with a tetragonal crystal structure, featuring crystal grains grown in specific orientations (e.g., , , or directions) with a proportion of 10% or more, using materials like hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, or hafnium zirconium oxide, grown on substrates such as titanium nitride or cobalt titanium nitride, and potentially including intermediate material layers like niobium titanium oxide or niobium nitride.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the dielectric layer thickness is reduced to downscale electronic devices, then the device size is reduced, but the breakdown voltage decreases and leakage current increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the crystal structure parameter from cubic to tetragonal phase in hafnium oxide dielectric material, and controls crystal grain orientation parameters to achieve high dielectric constant while maintaining thin film thickness and reliable breakdown voltage characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material approach by combining hafnium oxide with zirconium oxide to form hafnium zirconium oxide dielectric layer, achieving optimized dielectric properties with high dielectric constant and improved reliability at reduced thickness
2Volume of moving object
If the dielectric layer thickness is reduced to downscale electronic devices, then the device size is reduced, but the leakage current increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the crystal structure parameter from cubic to tetragonal phase in hafnium oxide dielectric material, and controls crystal grain orientation parameters to achieve high dielectric constant while maintaining thin film thickness and low leakage current
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates local quality differences by controlling crystal grain orientation within the dielectric layer, with preferential growth directions aligned perpendicular to the substrate surface to optimize local dielectric properties and reduce leakage current pathways
3Reliability
If a high dielectric constant material is used to maintain thin film thickness, then the capacitance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes material composition parameters by forming hafnium zirconium oxide with optimized Hf/Zr ratio, achieving high dielectric constant and high capacitance while using standard semiconductor manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming a seed layer with specific crystal orientation before depositing the main dielectric layer, ensuring preferential crystal grain growth and high dielectric constant are achieved through controlled initial conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the dielectric constant, ensuring high capacitance and satisfying breakdown voltage and leakage current characteristics while maintaining a constant and thin film thickness, thereby improving the performance of capacitors in electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
the dielectric layer including a tetragonal crystal structure, and crystal grains including a proportion of crystal grains preferentially grown such that at least one of <100>, <110>, or <111> direction of a crystal lattice is parallel to or forms an angle of less than 45 degrees with an out-of-plane orientation
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are dielectric thin-film structures and electronic devices including the same. The dielectric thin-film structure includes a substrate, and a dielectric layer provided on the substrate. The dielectric layer including a tetragonal crystal structure, and crystal grains including a proportion of the crystal grains preferentially oriented such that at least one of a <hk0>, <h00>, or <0k0> direction of a crystal lattice is parallel to or forms an angle of less than 45 degrees an out-of-plane orientation.