Interfacial modulation and optimization of the electrical properties of ZrGdOx composite films prepared using a UVO-assisted sol–gel method


Guo C. Tuokedaerhan K. Shen X. Sagidolda Y. Azamat Z.
23 January 2025Royal Society of Chemistry

RSC Advances
2025#15Issue 32231 - 2241 pp.

In this paper, Gd-doped ZrO2 gate dielectric films and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors structured as Al/ZrGdOx/Si were prepared using an ultraviolet ozone (UVO)-assisted sol–gel method. The effects of heat treatment temperature on the microstructure, chemical bonding state, optical properties, surface morphology and electrical characteristics of the ZrGdOx composite films and MOS capacitors were systematically investigated. The crystalline phase of the ZrGdOx films appeared only at 600 °C, indicating that Gd doping effectively inhibits the crystallization of ZrO2 films. Meanwhile, as the heat treatment temperature increased from 300 °C to 600 °C, the content of oxygen vacancies decreased from 18.57% to 11.95%, and the content of metal–hydroxyl–oxygen bonds decreased from 14.72% to 8.64%. Heat treatment temperature proved to be effective in passivating the oxygen defects and reducing the trap density within the dielectric layer. At 500 °C, the MOS capacitor exhibited the best electrical characteristics, including the highest dielectric constant (k = 19.3), the smallest hysteresis (DVfb = 0.01 V), the lowest boundary trapping oxide charge density (Nbt = 2.7 × 1010 cm−2), and the lowest leakage current density (J = 9.61 × 10−6 A cm−2). Therefore, adjusting the heat treatment temperature can significantly improve the performance of ZrGdOx composite films and capacitors, which is favorable for the application of CMOS devices in large-scale and high-performance electronic systems.



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Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Solid State Physics and Devices, Xinjiang University, Xinjiang, Urumqi, 830046, China
The School of Physics Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Xinjiang, Urumqi, 830046, China
Department of Solid State Physics and Nonlinear Physics, Faculty of Physics and Technology, AL-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan

Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Solid State Physics and Devices
The School of Physics Science and Technology
Department of Solid State Physics and Nonlinear Physics

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