Effects of Thermal Treatments on the Trapping Properties of HfO2 Films for Charge Trap Memories

The charge trapping properties of HfO2 thin films for application in charge trap memories are investigated as a function of high-temperature postdeposition annealing (PDA) and oxide thickness in the TaN/Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2/Si structure. The trap density (NT) in HfO2, extracted by simulating the programming transient, is in the 1019-1020 cm(-3) range, and it is related to film thickness and PDA temperature. Diffusion phenomena in the stack play a significant role in modifying NT in HfO2 and the insulating properties of the Al2O3 layer. The memory performances for 1030 degrees C PDA are promising with respect to standard stacks featuring Si3N4. (C) 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics