Deuterium Trapping at the Pt/HfO_2 Interface

摘要

This work investigates the interaction of Pt/HfO_2/Si nanometric film structures with deuterium gas (~2H_2) at 500__, simulating the hydrogen passivation step commonly applied to metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Selective chemical etching of Pt and HfO_2 combined with ~2H detection by nuclear reaction analysis allowed quantification and depth profiling of ~2H incorporated into the structures. The presence of the top Pt layers does not measurably affect ~2H amounts incorporated underneath. However, 10~14 ~2H cm~-2 are trapped at the Pt/HfO_2 interfaces. This interfacial ~2H trapping implies that conventional H_2 passivation annealing can substantially influence the chemistry of metal-HfO_2 interfaces.