• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.4 no.7
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• pp.759-766
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• 1994

Our investigation aimed to reduce the leakage current of $Ta_2O_5$ thin film capacitor by layering SnOz thin film layer under Ta thin film, thereby supplying extra oxygen ions from the $SnO_{2}$ underlayer to enhance the stoichiometry of $Ta_2O_5$ during the oxidation of Ta thin film. Tantalum was evaporated by e-beam or sputtered on p-Si wafers with various deposition temperatures and was oxidized by dry--oxygen at the temperatures between $500^{\circ}C$ and $900^{\circ}C$. Aluminum top and bottom electrodes were formed to make Al/$Ta_2O_5$/p-Si/Al or $Al/Ta_2O_5/SnO_2$p-Si/AI MIS type capacitors. LCR meter and pico-ammeter were used to measure the dielectric constants and leakage currents of the prepared thm film capacitors. XRD, AES and ESCA were employed to confirm the crystallization of the thin f~lm and the compositions of the films. Dielectric constant of $Ta_2O_5$ thin film capacitor with $SnO_{2}$ underlayer was found to be about 200, which is about 10 times higher than that of $Ta_2O_5$ thin film capacitor without $SnO_{2}$ underlayer. In addition, higher oxidation temperatures increased the dielectric constants and reduced the leakage current. Higher deposition temperature generally gave lower leakage current. $Ta_2O_5/SnO_2$ capacitor deposited at $200^{\circ}C$ and oxidized at $800^{\circ}C$ showed significantly lower leakage current, $10^{-7}A/\textrm{cm}^2$ at $4 \times 10^{5}$V/cm, compared to the one without $SnO_{2}$ underlayer. XRD showed that $Ta_2O_5$ thin film was crystallized above $700^{\circ}C$. AES and ESCA showed that initially the $SnO_{2}$, underlayer supplied oxygen ions to oxidize the Ta layer, however, Sn also diffused into the Ta thin film layer to form a new $Ta_xSn_YO_Z$ , ternary oxide layer after all.