Si-doped aluminates for high temperature metal-gate CMOS: Zr-Al-Si-O, a novel gate dielectric for low power applications

We have investigated a new class of high K gate dielectric materials, Si-doped aluminates. These dielectrics, with TiN gates, can withstand high temperature CMOS processing and therefore do not require replacement gate technology. In this paper we focus on Si-doped zirconium aluminate (Zr-Al-Si-O), with K/spl sim/20. With the TiN gate stack subjected to the standard CMOS thermal budget, we have scaled this dielectric to t/sub eq//spl sim/1.2 nm with leakage current <50 mA/cm/sup 2/ and gate power budget <50 mW/cm/sup 2/, at IV. For high performance, low power CMOS, beyond SiO/sub 2/, doped-aluminum oxide (with K/spl sim/10) may be a viable alternate gate dielectric. Beyond aluminum oxide, aluminates (with K>15) may be viable alternate gate dielectrics.