Low leakage TiO2 gate insulator formed by ultrathin TiN deposition and low-temperature oxidation

A new method of forming TiO2 gate insulators is proposed. It was found that ultrathin TiN deposition on ultrathin SiO2 and low-temperature thermal oxi dation resulted in smaller TiO2 grains surrounded by amorphous boundaries. The gate leakage current was effectively reduced by applying ultrathin TiO2 /SiO2 stacked insulators to metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors and Damascene gate metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) with good characteristics were successfully fabricated.