Oxidizer Engineering of ALD for Efficient Production of ZrO2 Capacitors in DRAM

This manuscript aims to enhance the production efficiency while maintaining the electric properties of the dynamic random-access memory capacitor dielectric ZrO
₂
by optimizing its growth processes. This is achieved through oxidizer engineering by increasing the O
₃
flux (1k sccm to 10k sccm) and using an extremely fast pulse time (1.5 s) during the atomic layer deposition of ZrO
₂
. This “short pulse -high oxidizer flux” method elevates the
k
value, effectively reduces leakage, and cuts off the growth time. The application of this method yields ZrO
₂
-based capacitors of low leakage current densities (2×10
^-8
A/cm
²
) and low equivalent oxide thicknesses of 0.55 nm (at 0.5 V, 10k sccm O3 flux), holding significant potential as a key facilitator for future ultra-high-density DRAM systems.