Dielectric relaxation and Charge trapping characteristics study in Germanium based MOS devices with HfO2 /Dy2O3 gate stacks

TL;DR

This study investigates dielectric relaxation and charge trapping in germanium-based MOS devices with HfO2/Dy2O3 gate stacks, revealing field-dependent relaxation effects, charge trapping behavior, and Maxwell-Wagner instability influences.

Contribution

It provides new experimental insights into dielectric relaxation, charge trapping, and Maxwell-Wagner effects in Ge MOS devices with HfO2/Dy2O3 stacks under various stress conditions.

Findings

Relaxation effects are observed across all applied voltages.

Charge trapping is negligible at low fields but significant at high fields (>4MV/cm).

Maxwell-Wagner instability affects transient current and trapped charge polarity.

Abstract

In the present work we investigate the dielectric relaxation effects and charge trapping characteristics of HfO2 /Dy2O3 gate stacks grown on Ge substrates. The MOS devices have been subjected to constant voltage stress (CVS) conditions at accumulation and show relaxation effects in the whole range of applied stress voltages. Applied voltage polarities as well as thickness dependence of the relaxation effects have been investigated. Charge trapping is negligible at low stress fields while at higher fields (>4MV/cm) it becomes significant. In addition, we give experimental evidence that in tandem with the dielectric relaxation effect another mechanism- the so-called Maxwell-Wagner instability- is present and affects the transient current during the application of a CVS pulse. This instability is also found to be field dependent thus resulting in a trapped charge which is negative at low stress fields but changes to positive at higher fields.