Effective Modulation of Quadratic Voltage Coefficient of Capacitance in MIM Capacitors Using $\hbox{Sm}_{2}\hbox{O}_{3}/\hbox{SiO}_{2}$ Dielectric Stack

We report the first demonstration of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with Sm
₂
O
₃
/SiO
₂
stacked dielectrics for precision analog circuit applications. By using the ldquocanceling effectrdquo of the positive quadratic voltage coefficient of capacitance (VCC) of Sm
₂
O
₃
and the negative quadratic VCC of SiO
₂
, MIM capacitors with capacitance density exceeding 7.3 fF/mum
²
, quadratic VCC of around -50 ppm/V
²
, and leakage current density of 1 times 10
^-7
A/cm
²
at +3.3 V are successfully demonstrated. The obtained capacitance density and quadratic VCC satisfy the technical requirements specified in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors through the year 2013 for MIM capacitors to be used in precision analog circuit applications.