Laser Annealing on Ti Electrode: Impact on Ti ∕ HfO2 ∕ SiO2 n-Type MOSFET

Low-thermal-budget processes are required for Ti electrode in the present gate-first n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (nMOSFET) applications because of its thermal stability problem. In this article, the effects of laser annealing on Ti electrodes (in HfO 2 /SiO 2 nMOSFET) are discussed. The processes of Ti electrode degradation and HfO 2 crystallization are optimized effectively. HfO 2 /SiO 2 nMOSFET with Ti electrode displayed an effective work function (∼4.26 eV), corresponding to the conduction bandedge and an equivalent oxide thickness of 11.7 A by controlling the laser annealing.