Millisecond Flash Annealing as a Flatband Voltage Shift Enabler for p-Type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Devices with High-k/Metal Gate

Abstract

We have investigated the effects of millisecond flash annealing (ms-FLA) on the electrical properties of p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (pMOS) devices with high-k gate dielectrics with TiN gate. Compared to conventional rapid thermal annealing (RTA), ms-FLA improves pMOS characteristics such as positive flatband voltage (V-FB) shift along with scaled equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and negligible gate leakage degradation, attributed to the suppressed oxygen vacancies [V-o(2+)] generation in high-k gate dielectrics due to a shorter thermal budget. Al-containing capping layers, TiN thickness, and Si cap deposition temperatures with ms-FLA substantially affect thermally generated [V-o(2+)], leading to different V-FB and EOT.