Comparison of high-κ Nd2O3 and NdTiO3 dielectrics deposited on polycrystalline silicon substrates

• NdTiO3 dielectrics have been fabricated on polyoxide substrate.
• Multiple material characterizations were performed on the dielectrics.
• Incorporation of Ti could suppress low-κ oxides.
• Annealing can effectively increase dielectric strength.

High-κ Nd2O3 and NdTiO3 films deposited on polycrystalline silicon treated at various post-rapid thermal annealing temperatures were fabricated as high-κ gate dielectrics. The NdTiO3 samples demonstrated a higher effective dielectric constant, lower leakage current, higher breakdown electric field, smaller gate voltage shift, and lower electron trapping rate than the high-κ Nd2O3 polyoxide dielectric samples. Annealing effects were analyzed using electrical measurements and multiple material analysis techniques included X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Incorporating Ti content into Nd2O3 dielectrics resulted in noticeable improvements in electrical performance and material quality. Results indicate that NdTiO3 dielectrics show promise for future high-κ dielectric electronic device applications.