Texture, twinning and metastable "tetragonal" phase in ultrathin films of HfO₂ on a Si substrate

MacLaren, I., Ras, T., MacKenzie, M., Craven, A.J., McComb, D.W. and De Gendt, S. (2009) Texture, twinning and metastable "tetragonal" phase in ultrathin films of HfO₂ on a Si substrate. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 156(8), G103-G108. (doi: 10.1149/1.3141705)

Abstract

Thin HfO₂ films grown on the lightly oxidised surface of (100) Si wafers have been examined using dark-field transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction in plan view. The polycrystalline film has a grain size of the order of 100 nm and many of the grains show evidence of twinning on (110) and (001) planes. Diffraction studies showed that the film had a strong [110] out-of-plane texture, and that a tiny volume fraction of a metastable (possibly tetragonal) phase was retained. The reasons for the texture, twinning and the retention of the metastable phase are discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Except as provided under U.S. copyright law, this work may not be reproduced, resold, distributed, or modified without the express permission of The Electrochemical Society (ECS). The archival version of this work was published in Journal of the Electrochemical Society 156 (8) : G103-G108.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: MacLaren, Dr Ian and MacKenzie, Dr Maureen and Craven, Professor Alan
• Authors: MacLaren, I., Ras, T., MacKenzie, M., Craven, A.J., McComb, D.W., and De Gendt, S.
• Subjects: T Technology > TP Chemical technology
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Research Group: Solid State Physics
• Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society
• Publisher: The Electrochemical Society
• ISSN: 0013-4651
• ISSN (Online): 1945-7111
• Published Online: 01 January 2009
• Copyright Holders: Copyright The Electrochemical Society Inc. © 2009. All rights reserved.
• First Published: First published in Journal of the Electrochemical Society 156 (8) : G103-G108
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
35067	1	Chemistry, structure and bonding in high-k gate oxide stacks	Alan Craven	Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)	GR/S44280/01	Physics and Astronomy