Mechanism of positive charge generation in the bulk of HfAlO/SiO2 stack

We have investigated electrical stress-induced positive charge buildup in a hafnium aluminate (HfAlO)/silicon dioxide (SiO2) dielectric stack (equivalent oxide thickness = 2.63 nm) in metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structures with negative bias on the TaN gate. Various mechanisms of positive charge generation in the dielectric have been theoretically studied. Although, anode hole injection (AHI) and valence band hole tunneling are energetically favorable in the stress voltage range studied, the measurement results can be best explained by the dispersive proton transport model.