Abstract
Al/ Pb (Zr0.53, Ti0.47) O3 (PZT) /ZrO2/Si metal-ferroelectric-insulator semiconductor (MFIS) capacitors were fabricated. The wafers were given a H2O2 pre-treatment before ZrO2 deposition and a HCl treatment after deposition. The interface states were reduced from 5.62 × 1013/cm2 to 4.0 × 1012/cm2 and the composite dielectric constant of ZrO2 film plus interfacial layer was increased from 5.54 to 7.3. The leakage current density was 5.4 × 10−6 A/cm2 at a sweep voltage of 5 V. The retention time of Al/PZT/ZrO2/Si capacitors after these surface treatments was increased from 13.3 hours to 17.1 days. The improved retention time is attributed to the reduced gate leakage current.