Boronization: A General Strategy for Rare Earth Oxides with Enhanced High-κ Gate Dielectric Performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Rare earth oxides (REOs) are crucial high-κ gate dielectrics in electronic devices.
• REOs suffer from hygroscopic issues and high defect states, limiting their performance.
• Improving REO dielectric properties is essential for next-generation electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general boronization strategy for enhancing high-κ REO gate dielectric performance.
• To investigate the impact of boronization on REO defect states and moisture absorption.
• To evaluate the device characteristics of transistors utilizing boronized REO dielectrics.

Main Methods:

• A general boronization strategy was applied to rare earth oxides.
• Complementary characterization techniques were used to analyze REO properties.
• Oxide transistors were fabricated using boronized REO dielectrics for performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• Boronization effectively reduced oxygen vacancies and hydroxyl defects in REOs.
• The strategy suppressed moisture absorption, improving leakage current and breakdown strength (up to 9 MV/cm).
• Boronized REO dielectrics led to state-of-the-art transistor characteristics: high mobility (40 cm²/V s), high on/off ratio (10⁸), low subthreshold swing (82 mV/dec), and minimal hysteresis (0.05 V).

Conclusions:

• The boronization strategy significantly enhances the performance and stability of high-κ REO gate dielectrics.
• Reduced defects and moisture absorption are key to the improved dielectric and device properties.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for developing advanced electronic devices utilizing REO materials.