IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,477,757
Granted Patent B2
US 12,477,757 · App. 18/156,273 · Granted Nov 18, 2025

Capacitor, semiconductor device comprising the capacitor, and method of fabricating the capacitor

Inventors: Jeonggyu Song (Seongnam-si, KR); Eunae Cho (Seoul, KR); Yongsung Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Boeun Park (Hwaseong-si, KR); Narae Han (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H10D1/696H01G4/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,477,757
App. No.
18/156,273
Granted
Nov 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A capacitor includes a lower electrode, an upper electrode, a dielectric film between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and a leakage current reduction film between the upper electrode and the dielectric film. The leakage current reduction film includes a doped AlZrO film, wherein an ionic radius of a dopant contained in the doped AlZrO film is greater than or equal to about 130 picometers (pm).

Claims (71)

1 . A capacitor comprising:

a lower electrode;

an upper electrode;

a dielectric film between the lower electrode and the upper electrode; and

a leakage current reduction film between the upper electrode and the dielectric film, the leakage current reduction film comprising a doped AlZrO film, and

wherein an ionic radius of a dopant included in the doped AlZrO film is greater than or equal to about 130 picometers (pm).

2 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises zirconium (Zr) of about 75 at % or more among metal atoms except for oxygen (O).

3 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the dopant comprises at least one of potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), francium (Fr), or radium (Ra).

4 . The capacitor of claim 1 , further comprising:

a lower interfacial film between the lower electrode and the dielectric film,

wherein the lower interfacial film comprises a material expressed as MM′ON, M′O, or M′ON, and

wherein M comprises at least one of beryllium (Be), boron (B), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), indium (In), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), cesium (Cs), barium (Ba), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), lead (Pb), bismuth (Bi), polonium (Po), francium (Fr), radium (Ra), actinium (Ac), thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), or uranium (U), and

M′ comprises at least one of hydrogen (H), lithium (Li), Be, B, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, phosphorus (P), sulfur(S), K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, arsenic (As), selenium (Se), Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, Fr, Ra, Ac, Th, Pa, or U.

5 . The capacitor of claim 4 , further comprising:

an upper interfacial film between the leakage current reduction film and the upper electrode,

wherein the upper interfacial film comprises a material expressed as M′O or M′ON.

6 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein a total thickness of the dielectric film and the leakage current reduction film is about 20 angstrom (Å) to about 80 Å.

7 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the dielectric film is about 1.5 times a thickness of the leakage current reduction film.

8 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises the dopant and Al of about 25% or less in total among metal atoms except for O.

9 . The capacitor of claim 8 , wherein

the doped AlZrO is represented by (L 1 )nAl x Zr y O (0.5n+1.5x+2y) , (L 2 ) m Al x Zr y O (m+1.5x+2y) or (L 1 ) n (L 2 ) m Al x Zr y O (0.5n+m+1.5x+2y) ,

wherein L 1 is one of K, Rb, Cs, and Fr, L 2 is one of Sr, Ba, and Ra,

wherein x, y, n, and m respectively represent an atomic percentage of the metal atoms in the doped AlZrO, and

wherein 0<(n+x)≤0.25, 0<(m+x)≤0.25, 0<(n+m+x)≤0.25 and 0.75≤y<1.

10 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric film comprises at least one of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , CeO 2 , La 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 3 , or TiO 2 .

11 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein each of the lower electrode and the upper electrode comprises at least one of TiN, NbN, MoN, CON, TaN, W, Ru, RuO 2 , SrRuO 3 , Ir, IrO 2 , Pt, PtO, SRO(SrRuO 3 ), BSRO((Ba,Sr)RuO 3 ), CRO(CaRuO 3 ), LSCO((La,Sr)CoO 3 ), or a combination thereof.

12 . The capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the lower electrode includes a carbon content of 1% or less.

13 . A method of fabricating a capacitor, the method comprising:

forming a lower electrode;

forming a dielectric film on the lower electrode;

forming a leakage current reduction film on the dielectric film, the leakage current reduction film comprising a doped AlZrO film; and

forming an upper electrode on the leakage current reduction film,

wherein an ionic radius of a dopant contained in the doped AlZrO film is greater than or equal to about 130 picometers (pm).

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the forming of the leakage current reduction film comprises

forming a lower Al 2 O 3 film, a dopant film, a ZrO 2 film, and an upper Al 2 O 3 film on the dielectric film, and

heat-treating the dielectric film, the lower Al 2 O 3 film, the dopant film, the ZrO 2 film, and the upper Al 2 O 3 film, and

wherein the dopant film comprises an oxide film comprising the dopant.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein

the lower Al 2 O 3 film is formed to a thickness of about 1 to about 3 angstroms (Å),

the dopant film is formed to a thickness of about 1 to about 2 Å,

the ZrO 2 film is formed to a thickness of about 20 to about 100 Å, and

the upper Al 2 O 3 film is formed to a thickness of about 1 to about 3 Å.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises zirconium (Zr) of about 75 at % or more among metal atoms except for oxygen (O).

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the dopant comprises at least one of potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), francium (Fr), or radium (Ra).

18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

forming a lower interfacial film between the lower electrode and the dielectric film,

wherein the lower interfacial film comprises a material expressed as MM′ON, M′O, or M′ON, and

wherein M comprises at least one of beryllium (Be), boron (B), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), indium (In), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), cesium (Cs), barium (Ba), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), lead (Pb), bismuth (Bi), polonium (Po), francium (Fr), radium (Ra), actinium (Ac), thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), and uranium (U), and

M′ comprises at least one of hydrogen (H), lithium (Li), Be, B, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, phosphorus (P), sulfur(S), K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, arsenic (As), selenium (Se), Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, Fr, Ra, Ac, Th, Pa, or U.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

forming an upper interfacial film provided between the leakage current reduction film and the upper electrode,

wherein the upper interfacial film comprises a material expressed as M′O or M′ON.

20 . A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate including a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region in an upper portion of the substrate;

a gate structure between the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region; and

a capacitor on the substrate, the capacitor comprising a lower electrode electrically connected to the first source/drain region, an upper electrode on the lower electrode, a dielectric film between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and a leakage current reduction film between the upper electrode and the dielectric film,

wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises a doped AlZrO film, and

an ionic radius of a dopant included in the doped AlZrO film is greater than or equal to about 130 picometers (pm).

21 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises zirconium (Zr) of about 75 at % or more among metal atoms except for oxygen (O).

22 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , wherein the dopant comprises at least one selected from among potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), francium (Fr), and radium (Ra).

23 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , further comprising:

a lower interfacial film between the lower electrode and the dielectric film,

wherein the lower interfacial film comprises a material expressed as MM′ON, M′O, or M′ON, and

wherein M comprises at least one of beryllium (Be), boron (B), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), indium (In), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), cesium (Cs), barium (Ba), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), lead (Pb), bismuth (Bi), polonium (Po), francium (Fr), radium (Ra), actinium (Ac), thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), or uranium (U), and

M′ comprises at least one of hydrogen (H), lithium (Li), Be, B, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, phosphorus (P), sulfur(S), K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, arsenic (As), selenium (Se), Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, Fr, Ra, Ac, Th, Pa, or U.

24 . The semiconductor device of claim 23 , further comprising:

an upper interfacial film between the leakage current reduction film and the upper electrode,

wherein the upper interfacial film comprises a material expressed as M′O or M′ON.

25 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , wherein a total thickness of the dielectric film and the leakage current reduction film is about 20 angstroms (Å) to about 80 Å.

26 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , wherein a thickness of the dielectric film is about 1.5 times a thickness of the leakage current reduction film.

27 . The semiconductor device of claim 20 , wherein the leakage current reduction film comprises the dopant and Al at about 25% or less in total among metal atoms included in the leakage current reduction film.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 9, 2023
From: SONG, JEONGGYU; CHO, EUNAE; KIM, YONGSUNG; PARK, BOEUN; HAN, NARAE
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062646/0708 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2022-0008030 · Jan 19, 2022 · national
KR 10-2022-0182169 · Dec 22, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230299125A1 · Sep 21, 2023
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