Effect of Growth Temperature on the Structural and Electrical Properties of ZrO(2) Films Fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition Using a CpZr[N(CH(3))(2)](3)/C(7)H(8) Cocktail Precursor

The effect of growth temperature on the atomic layer deposition of zirconium oxide (ZrO(2)) dielectric thin films that were fabricated using a CpZr[N(CH(3))(2)](3)/C(7)H(8) cocktail precursor with ozone was investigated. The chemical, structural, and electrical properties of ZrO(2) films grown at temperatures from 250 to 350 °C were characterized. Stoichiometric ZrO(2) films formed at 250–350 °C with an atomic ratio of O to Zr of 1.8–1.9 and a low content of carbon impurities. The film formed at 300 °C was predominantly the tetragonal crystalline phase, whereas that formed at 350 °C was a mixture of tetragonal and monoclinic phases. Electrical properties, such as capacitance, leakage current, and voltage linearity of TiN/ZrO(2)/TiN capacitors fabricated using the thin ZrO(2) films grown at different temperatures were compared capacitor applications. The ZrO(2) film grown at 300 °C exhibited low impurity content, predominantly tetragonal crystalline structure, a high dielectric permittivity of 38.3, a low leakage current of below 10(−7) A/cm(2) at 2 V, and low-voltage linearity.