Studies of high-k dielectrics deposited by liquid source misted chemical deposition in MOS gate structures

This paper reviews results of an investigation of electrical characteristics and selected fundamental material properties of several high-k metal oxides considered for MOS gate applications. The metal oxide films were deposited using the LSMCD (liquid source misted chemical deposition) method in a cluster tool. The method produces high quality films as thin as 3 nm and offers the flexibility of switching between various chemistries. Among compositions studied, mist-deposited oxides of Hf and Zr as well as SrTa/sub 2/O/sub 6/ were found to display promising characteristics for MOS gate applications, with the last showing superior thermal stability with silicon.