Intrinsic limitations on performance and reliability of i) Si oxynitride and ii) high-k T-M oxides, and silicate and aluminate alloy gate dielectrics

This paper has addressed intrinsic limitations in the performance of gate stacks for MOSFET devices that employ dielectrics other than SiO/sub 2/ or thermally-nitrided SiO/sub 2/. Since the alternative dielectrics include both i) Si oxynitride alloys and ii) high-k metal, T-M and R-E oxides, and silicate and aluminate alloys, it is necessary to identify the intrinsic similarities and differences between these two groups of materials. This has been done at two different levels, amorphous morphology of the non-crystalline dielectric structure, and the electronic structure. These two groups are significantly different, and in the opinion of the author, a fruitful comparison can be made by comparing Si oxynitride alloys and T-M/R-E silicate and aluminate alloys.