IP Library Granted Patent US 11,121,139
Granted Patent B2
US 11,121,139 · App. 15/815,265 · Granted Sep 14, 2021

Hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide based ferroelectric devices with textured iridium bottom electrodes

Inventor: Martin M. Frank (Dobbs Ferry, NY)
Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
H01L27/11507H01L21/022H01L21/0228H01L21/02181H01L21/02189H01L21/02194H01L21/02282H01L21/28568H01L28/55H01L28/60H01L29/78H01L29/785H01L29/7827
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,121,139
App. No.
15/815,265
Granted
Sep 14, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of forming a ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric (FE/AFE) dielectric layer is provided. The method includes forming a metal electrode layer on a substrate, wherein the metal electrode layer has an exposed surface with at least 80% {111} crystal face, and forming an FE/AFE dielectric layer on the exposed surface of the metal electrode layer, wherein the FE/AFE dielectric layer is a group 4 transition metal oxide.

Claims (26)

1. A method of forming a ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric (FE/AFE) dielectric layer, comprising:

forming an iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer on a substrate, wherein the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer has an exposed surface with at least 80% {111} crystal plane; and

forming a hafnium oxide (HfO) FE/AFE dielectric layer that has an orthorhombic-III polar non-centrosymmetric phase structure directly on the exposed surface of the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer is formed by physical vapor deposition (PVD).

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hafnium oxide (HfO) FE/AFE dielectric layer is formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or chemical solution deposition.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hafnium oxide (HfO) FE/AFE dielectric layer is stoichiometric hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ).

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a second metal electrode layer on the hafnium oxide (HfO) FE/AFE dielectric layer, wherein the hafnium oxide (HfO) FE/AFE dielectric layer has a ratio of a standard deviation in switching voltage to a mean switching voltage (σV/Vmean) of greater than 0 and less than 0.2 (<0.2).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer is formed at a temperature in the range of about 250° C. to about 600° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposed surface of the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer has a roughness of less than 2 nm RMS.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer is polycrystalline with the exposed surfaces of the grains of the polycrystalline iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer arranged to have ≥90% but ≤100% of the {111} crystal plane forming the exposed surface of the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer.

9. A method of forming a variable capacitor having a ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric (FE/AFE) dielectric layer, comprising:

forming a platinum first metal electrode layer on a substrate, wherein the platinum first metal electrode layer has an exposed surface with at least 80% {111} crystal plane;

forming a zirconium oxide (ZrO) FE/AFE dielectric layer that has a polar non-centrosymmetric phase structure directly on the exposed surface of the platinum first metal electrode layer;

forming a second metal electrode layer on the zirconium oxide (ZrO) FE/AFE dielectric layer; and

patterning the platinum first metal electrode layer, the zirconium oxide (ZrO) FE/AFE dielectric layer, and the second metal electrode layer to form the variable capacitor with a width in the range of about 20 nm to about 100 nm.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the zirconium oxide (ZrO) FE/AFE dielectric layer has an orthorhombic phase structure having <111>oriented crystals aligned with the underlying crystal structure of the platinum first metal electrode that provides a ratio of a standard deviation in switching voltage to a mean switching voltage (σ/Vmean) of greater than 0 and less than 0.2 (<0.2).

11. A ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device, comprising:

an iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer on a substrate, wherein the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer has a surface with at least 80% {111} crystal plane;

an FE/AFE dielectric layer that has a polar non-centrosymmetric phase structure directly on the surface of the iridium (Ir) first metal electrode layer, wherein the FE/AFE dielectric layer is zirconium oxide (ZrO) or hafnium oxide (HfO);

a second platinum or iridium metal electrode layer on the FE/AFE dielectric layer; and

a first electrical lead to the first iridum (Ir) metal electrode layer and a second electrical lead to the second platinum or irridum metal electrode layer.

12. The ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device of claim 11 , wherein the FE/AFE dielectric layer is hafnium oxide (HfO) having a polar, orthorhombic-III structure.

13. The ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device of claim 11 , wherein the FE/AFE dielectric layer is zirconium oxide (ZrO) having the polar, non-centrosymmetric phase structure.

14. The ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device of claim 11 , wherein the first electrical lead is electrically connected to a transistor to form a ferroelectric dynamic random access memory (FeRAM) cell, and the FE/AFE dielectric layer has a ratio of a standard deviation in switching voltage to a mean switching voltage (σV/Vmean) of greater than 0 and less than 0.2 (<0.2).

15. The ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device of claim 14 , wherein the transistor is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a fin field effect transistor (FinFET), or a vertical transport field effect transistor (VT FinFET).

16. The ferroelectric/anti-ferroelectric device of claim 15 , wherein the FE/AFE dielectric layer has a width, W 1 , in the range of about 20 nm to about 100 nm.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 16, 2017
From: FRANK, MARTIN M.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044155/0157 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190148390A1 · May 16, 2019
Cited By (2)
US 12,563,739 US 12,573,522