Remote scavenging technology using a Ti/TiN capping layer interposed in a metal/high-k gate stack

High permittivity materials have been required to replace traditional SiO2 as the gate dielectric to extend Moore's law. However, growth of a thin SiO2-like interfacial layer (IL) is almost unavoidable during the deposition or subsequent high temperature annealing. This limits the scaling benefits of incorporating high-k dielectrics into transistors. In this work, a promising approach, in which an O-scavenging metal layer and a barrier layer preventing scavenged metal diffusing into the high-k gate dielectric are used to engineer the thickness of the IL, is reported. Using a Ti scavenging layer and TiN barrier layer on a HfO2 dielectric, the effective removal of the IL and almost no Ti diffusing into the HfO2 have been confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. (semiconductor technology)