Role of the MOCVD deposition conditions on physico-chemical properties of tetragonal ZrO2 thin films

Abstract High-k ZrO 2 thin films suitable for microelectronics applications were deposited by DLI-MOCVD method on planar Si (1 0 0) and pores etched in Si (1 0 0). The effects of various experimental parameters such as temperature of substrates, injection frequency, concentration of the precursor and oxygen partial pressure in the reactive chamber, were investigated in order to produce a single tetragonal ZrO 2 phase which exhibits, according to the literature, the best permittivity. Taking into account the crystal structure, microstructure and chemistry of the films, the expected phase was successfully deposited for high temperature of substrates, relatively high feeding rate and low oxygen partial pressure. Although the 3D coverage is actually not perfect in high aspect ratio pores, the electric properties of this sample are very promising with permittivity up to 27.