Structural optimization and electrical characteristics of ultra-thin gadolinium (Gd/sub 2/O/sub 3/) incorporated HfO/sub 2/ n-MOSFETs

New structural approach of Gd 2 O 3 incorporated HfO 2 multi-metal dielectric n-MOSFETs and their electrical characteristics are investigated for the first time. Among three possible dielectric structures, top Gd 2 O 3 with bottom HfO 2 bi-layer dielectric shows the best EOT and leakage current characteristics. Scaling-down of this Gd 2 O 3 /HfO 2 dielectric result in ultra-thin regime of EOT (between 5Aring and 10Aring) with substantial reduction in leakage current compared to HfO 2 . Also promising MOSFET characteristics with improved output current, transconductance, and channel electron mobility for Gd 2 O 3 /HfO 2 are observed