Hydrogen and deuterium incorporation and transport in hafnium-based dielectric films on silicon

Hydrogen and deuterium incorporation into nitrided and non-nitrided hafnium silicate films on Si during thermal annealing in (1)H- and (2)H-containing atmospheres was investigated. (1)H profiling was accessed by means of nuclear resonant reaction profiling, whereas (2)H incorporation was quantified by nuclear reaction analysis. The effects of preannealing in different atmospheres and temperatures were determined, as well as the losses of (1)H and (2)H from these structures during postannealing in vacuum. The results reveal a rather uniform depth distribution of incorporated (1)H, in striking contrast with previous studies on hydrogen in silicon oxide and oxynitrides and hafnium oxide films on Si. These results are discussed in terms of the defects present in each one of the structures studied here. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.