Reduced leakage current in atomic-layer-deposited HfO2 thin films deposited at low temperature by in-situ defect passivation

HfO2 films grown via atomic layer deposition (ALD) at low temperature generally exhibit high impurity content, reduced density, and increased oxygen defects, resulting in degraded electrical properties. To overcome this issue, this study applied an in-situ defect passivation technique at low temperature, modifying the ALD oxygen source feeding step to suit heat-sensitive substrates. The electrical properties of the ALD HfO2 film grown at 80 degrees C are improved when the oxygen source feeding step is repeated twice, and especially the leakage current density is significantly decreased, which is approximately 1/7 smaller at an electric field of 1 MV/cm compared to the film grown via the conventional ALD process at 80 degrees C. This improvement in the electrical properties can be attributed to decreased carbon impurities and oxygen defects and increased film density. A simple modification of the oxygen source feeding step during the ALD process can effectively reduce defects within the ALD HfO2 films at the atomic layer level, even when grown at low deposition temperatures.