Modeling the voltage nonlinearity of high-k MIM capacitors

•We report the fabrication of crystalline high-k oxides MIM capacitors using anodization.•We propose a generalized model for the voltage nonlinearity coefficient of high-k MIM capacitors.•Our model predicts the origin of voltage dependent capacitance of MIM capacitors.•The model is verified with fabricated MIM capacitors with four different high-k materials.•We report the thickness scalability of high-k MIM capacitors to meet the ITRS recommendations.

Voltage nonlinearity is a crucial performance parameter of MIM capacitors for RF, analog and mixed signal IC applications. In present work, the fabrication and characterization of anodic high-k MIM capacitors are reported in detail and modeling of nonlinearity coefficient of capacitance is developed using polarization of induced dipoles. The model agrees with experimental results for various high-k dielectric MIM capacitors. It explores the origin of nonlinearity in capacitance–voltage characteristics of MIM capacitors and also predicts the potential requirements to meet the ITRS requirements.