Electrical characteristics of ZrOxNy prepared by NH3 annealing of ZrO2

Abstract
The electrical characteristics of ZrOxNy prepared by NH3 annealing of ZrO2 were investigated for use in metal–oxide–semiconductor gate dielectric applications. Compared with conventional ZrO2, ZrOxNy exhibits excellent electrical characteristics such as high accumulation capacitance, low leakage current density, and superior thermal stability. Based on high resolution transmission electron microscope analysis of both ZrO2 and ZrOxNy samples which had been annealed at 800 °C for 5 min, the ZrO2 exhibited a polycrystalline state but the ZrOxNy was amorphous in structure. In addition, the thickness of ZrOxNy was thinner than that of ZrO2. The improvement in electrical characteristics can be explained by the better thermal stability and lower rate of oxidation of ZrOxNy.