Non-contact electrical characterization of high-dielectric-constant (high-k) materials

This study explores the application of non-contact electrical characterization (using Quantox(TM)) on high-dielectric-constant (high-k) materials by comparing the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) measured from Quantox(TM) with the conventional C-V EOT data. The study examines two identical batches of high-k film with various ratios of hafnium to aluminum oxide. The first batch was measured with Quantox(TM), and the second batch was deposited with TaN/Al electrodes to form capacitors. The EOT measured by Quantox(TM) correlated linearly with the conventional C-V but is thicker. The TEM analysis on the film thickness also revealed similar trend. These results possibly indicate that a reaction occurred between the high-k material and the TaN/Al electrode that led to a `reduction' in the electrical and physical thickness of the high-k materials in the capacitor samples.