Study of reactions between HfO2 and Si in thin films with precise identification of chemical states by XPS

▶ Deposited by r.f. sputtering, HfSiO films with different ratios of Si:Hf could be a combination of hafnium dioxide, hafnium silicate and silicon dioxide. ▶ Annealing in air for 30 min, hafnium silicate decomposes above the temperature of 600 °C. ▶ With the decomposition of hafnium silicate, the oxygen content in HfSiO films reduces and hafnium silicide forms in the bulk of the films.