Ge-Doped Hafnia-Based Dielectrics for Non-Volatile Memory Applications

Fully high-k based non-volatile memory structures were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The pure HfO2 and HfSiO materials were used as tunnel and/or control layers, whereas HfGeO ones were used as a charge storage node. The capacitance-voltage measurements of HfO2/HfGeO/HfO2 and HfSiO/HfGeO/HfSiO stacks were performed to study the charge trapping characteristics of these structures. The memory effect was observed in both types of MIS capacitors and the optimal annealing treatment was found to be at 610°C for 15 minutes. A memory window of ~7 V at a sweeping voltage of ± 14 V has been achieved, indicating the potential use of these stack structures for non-volatile memory devices.