Lanthanum Gadolinium Oxide: A New Electronic Device Material for CMOS Logic and Memory Devices

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Semiconductor Device Physics

Background:

• The continuous scaling of semiconductor devices necessitates the development of novel high-k dielectric materials.
• Existing materials face challenges in meeting the stringent requirements for advanced complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and related technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a comprehensive review of the ternary dielectric, Lanthanum Gadolinium Oxide (LaGdO₃), as a novel high-k dielectric material.
• To evaluate its suitability for logic and memory device applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and qualification of LaGdO₃ in a laboratory setting.
• Characterization of its dielectric properties, energy bandgap, band offsets, thermal stability, and gate leakage current densities.
• Comparison with International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) specifications.

Main Results:

• LaGdO₃ exhibits a high linear dielectric constant (k) of approximately 22.
• It possesses a large energy bandgap of approximately 5.6 eV.
• Sufficient electron and hole band offsets on silicon (~2.57 eV and ~1.91 eV, respectively) and good thermal stability with silicon were observed.
• Low gate leakage current densities within ITRS limits at sub-nanometer electrical functional thickness were achieved.

Conclusions:

• LaGdO₃ is a highly promising novel high-k dielectric material for advanced semiconductor applications.
• Its excellent dielectric properties, thermal stability, and low leakage current make it suitable for next-generation CMOS, bipolar (Bi), and BiCMOS chips.
• Further research and development are warranted to fully exploit its potential in the semiconductor industry.