Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
Published on: June 3, 2015
Influence of Ultra-Thin Ge₃N₄ Passivation Layer on Structural, Interfacial, and Electrical Properties of HfO₂/Ge
Kumar Mallem1, S V Jagadeesh Chandra2, Minkyu Ju1
1Information and Communication Device Laboratory, School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, jangan-gu, suwon-si, gyeong gi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
We report the effects of the nitride passivation layer on the structural, electrical, and interfacial properties of Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with a hafnium oxide (HfO₂) gate dielectric layer deposited on p-type 〈100〉 Ge substrates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the chemical states and formation of HfO₂/Ge₃N₄ on Ge. The interfacial quality and thickness of the layers grown on Ge were confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the effects of post-deposition annealing (PDA) on the HfO₂/Ge₃N₄/Ge and HfO₂/Ge samples at 400 °C in an (FG+O₂) ambient atmosphere for 30 min were studied. After PDA, the HfO₂/Ge₃N₄/Ge MOS device showed a higher dielectric constant (k) of ~21.48 and accumulation capacitance of 1.2 nF, smaller equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of 1.2 nm, and lower interface trap density (D) of 4.9×1011 cm-2 eV-1 and oxide charges (Q) of 7.8×1012 cm-2 than the non-annealed sample. The I-V analysis showed that the gate leakage current density of the HfO₂/Ge₃N₄/Ge sample (0.3-1 nA cm-2 at V = 1 V) was half of that of the HfO₂/Ge sample. Moreover, the barrier heights of the samples were extracted from the Fowler-Nordheim plots. These results indicated that nitride passivation is crucial to improving the structural, interfacial, and electrical properties of Ge-based MOS devices.
More Related Videos
08:12Ohmic Contact Fabrication Using a Focused-ion Beam Technique and Electrical Characterization for Layer Semiconductor Nanostructures
Published on: December 5, 2015
09:20A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction
Published on: January 26, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Properties of Transition Metals
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Sources and Properties of Electric Charge
Most atoms additionally constitute another fundamental particle, the neutron. It carries no electrical charge. A...