Thermal stability and interfacial properties of ZrAl$_{x}$Si$_{y}$O$_{z}$ films prepared by pulse-laser deposition in high vacuum

The thermal stability and interfacial properties of ZrAl$_{x}$Si$_{y}$O$_{z}$ film prepared by pulse-laser deposition (PLD) in high vacuum have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) investigation show that the crystallization temperature of ZrAl$_{x}$Si$_{y}$O$_{z}$ film is above 900\r{ }C. A dielectric constant of 12.9(at 1MHz) is obtained by measuring a Pt/ZrAl$_{x}$Si$_{y}$O$_{z}$/Pt structure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) analyses reveal that an amorphous Zr-silicide interfacial layer is formed at 700\r{ }C, but Pt/ ZrAl$_{x}$Si$_{y}$O$_{z}$ /Zr-silicide/Si capacitors still have good electrical properties, such as small equivalent oxide thickness of 0.5nm, flat band voltage of 0.43V and low leakage current density of 2.76mA/cm2 at 1V gate voltage.