Influence of ALD pulse times and deposition temperature on electrical properties and reliability of MIM decoupling capacitors based on Al-doped ZrO2 high-κ dielectric in BEoL conditions

This paper explores the impact of important ALD parameters, especially of precursor/reactant pulse times as well as of deposition temperature and the combination of them on the electrical performance and reliability of MIM decoupling capacitors with thin high-κ dielectric films based on amorphous Al-doped ZrO
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processed under BEoL-friendly conditions. Specifically, it examines key parameters like capacitance density $\left(\mathrm{C}_{0}=9.3 \mathrm{nF} / \mathrm{mm}^{2}\right.$, $\kappa=23.9)$ and field linearity $\left(\alpha=565 \mathrm{ppm} /(\mathrm{MV} / \mathrm{cm})^{2}\right)$. It also assesses lifetime characteristics $\left(t_{\mathrm{BD}} \mid 150^{\circ} \mathrm{C}=3.6 \cdot 10^{10} \mathrm{~s}\right)$, while shedding light on the dominant conduction mechanism.