Quantitative statistical analysis of dielectric breakdown in zirconia-based self-assembled nanodielectrics

Uniformity of the dielectric breakdown voltage distribution for several thicknesses of a zirconia-based self-assembled nanodielectric was characterized using the Weibull distribution. Two regimes of breakdown behavior are observed: self-assembled multilayers >5 nm thick are well described by a single two-parameter Weibull distribution, with β ≈ 11. Multilayers ≤5 nm thick exhibit kinks on the Weibull plot of dielectric breakdown voltage, suggesting that multiple characteristic mechanisms for dielectric breakdown are present. Both the degree of uniformity and the effective dielectric breakdown field are observed to be greater for one layer than for two layers of Zr-SAND, suggesting that this multilayer is more promising for device applications.