Si-SiO₂ interface to High-k-Ge/III-V interface: Passivation and reliability

The Si-SiO₂ interface is one of the most important semiconductor-dielectric interfaces that has been studied extensively over many decades. The understanding and control of structural and electronic properties of Si-SiO₂ interfaces has provided many clues for technological advancement. The article discusses how the Si-SiO₂ interface migrated through the technological landscape like plasma processing damage, hot carrier effects and negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) and subsequent passivation techniques using hydrogen to nitrogen. Introduction of high-k gate dielectrics brought significant attention to the interface between silicon and high-k dielectrics but Si-SiO₂ interface continued to be important because of the presence of a SiO₂-based interfacial layer. With deposition of high-k gate dielectrics high carrier mobility substrates (Ge/III-V) are currently being considered as the channel materials. To obtain a high quality interface between the high-k dielectrics and the high mobility substrates some issues like deposition process, precise selection of deposition parameters, predeposition surface treatments, appropriate passivation techniques and subsequent annealing temperatures are also outlined.