DC and RF characteristics of advanced MIM capacitors for MMIC's using ultra-thin remote-PECVD Si3N4 dielectric layers

We have fabricated advanced metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with ultra-thin (200 Angstrom) remote-PECVD Si3N4 dielectric layers having excellent electrical properties, The breakdown field strength of MIM capacitors with 200-Angstrom-thick Si3N4 was larger than 3.5 MV/cm, which indicates the excellent quality of the deposited Si3N4 film. The main capacitance per unit area extracted by radio frequency (RF) measurements was as high as 2900 pF/mm(2). Tenfold reduction of MIM capacitor size was successfully performed compared with conventional MIM capacitor with 2000-Angstrom PECVD Si3N4 dielectric layer. Despite ultra-thin dielectric films of 200-Angstrom thickness, the fabricated MIM capacitors showed good RF performance and high yield.