Showing papers on "Dielectric published in 1999"

Ferroelectric ceramics : History and technology

Abstract: Ferroelectric ceramics were born in the early 1940s with the discovery of the phenomenon of ferroelectricity as the source of the unusually high dielectric constant in ceramic barium titanate capacitors. Since that time, they have been the heart and soul of several multibillion dollar industries, ranging from high-dielectric-constant capacitors to later developments in piezoelectric transducers, positive temperature coefficient devices, and electrooptic light valves. Materials based on two compositional systems, barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate, have dominated the field throughout their history. The more recent developments in the field of ferroelectric ceramics, such as medical ultrasonic composites, high-displacement piezoelectric actuators (Moonies, RAINBOWS), photostrictors, and thin and thick films for piezoelectric and integrated-circuit applications have served to keep the industry young amidst its growing maturity. Various ceramic formulations, their form (bulk, films), fabrication, function (properties), and future are described in relation to their ferroelectric nature and specific areas of application.

Simulation of the Optical Absorption Spectra of Gold Nanorods as a Function of Their Aspect Ratio and the Effect of the Medium Dielectric Constant

Abstract: Gold nanorods with different aspect ratios are prepared in micelles by the electrochemical method and their absorption spectra are modeled by theory. Experimentally, a linear relationship is found between the absorption maximum of the longitudinal plasmon resonance and the mean aspect ratio as determined from TEM. It is shown here that such a linear dependence is also predicted theoretically. However, calculations also show that the absorption maximum of the longitudinal plasmon resonance depends on the medium dielectric constant in a linear fashion for a fixed aspect ratio. Attempts to fit the calculations to the experimental values indicate that the medium dielectric constant has to vary with the aspect ratio in a nonlinear way. Chemically, this suggests that the structure of the micelle capping the gold nanorods is size dependent. Furthermore, comparison with the results obtained for rods of different aspect ratios made by systematic thermal decomposition of the long rods further suggests that the medi...

Microwave processing: fundamentals and applications

Abstract: In microwave processing, energy is supplied by an electromagnetic field directly to the material. This results in rapid heating throughout the material thickness with reduced thermal gradients. Volumetric heating can also reduce processing times and save energy. The microwave field and the dielectric response of a material govern its ability to heat with microwave energy. A knowledge of electromagnetic theory and dielectric response is essential to optimize the processing of materials through microwave heating. The fundamentals of electromagnetic theory, dielectric response, and applications of microwave heating to materials processing, especially fiber composites, are reviewed in this article.

The electronic structure at the atomic scale of ultrathin gate oxides

Abstract: The narrowest feature on present-day integrated circuits is the gate oxide—the thin dielectric layer that forms the basis of field-effect device structures. Silicon dioxide is the dielectric of choice and, if present miniaturization trends continue, the projected oxide thickness by 2012 will be less than one nanometre, or about five silicon atoms across1. At least two of those five atoms will be at the silicon–oxide interfaces, and so will have very different electrical and optical properties from the desired bulk oxide, while constituting a significant fraction of the dielectric layer. Here we use electron-energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope to measure the chemical composition and electronic structure, at the atomic scale, across gate oxides as thin as one nanometre. We are able to resolve the interfacial states that result from the spillover of the silicon conduction-band wavefunctions into the oxide. The spatial extent of these states places a fundamental limit of 0.7 nm (four silicon atoms across) on the thinnest usable silicon dioxide gate dielectric. And for present-day oxide growth techniques, interface roughness will raise this limit to 1.2 nm.

Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3 Systems

Abstract: The structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of [Bi0.5(Na1-XKX)0.5]TiO3 ceramics were studied for the compositional range, X=0–1.0. The samples were prepared by a conventional sintering technique. From X-ray diffraction results, it was found that the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 (rhombohedral) and (Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3 (tetragonal) exists in the range of X=0.16–0.20. Polarization-Electric field hysteresis loops show that the remanent polarization at X=0.20 (BNTK20) is larger than that at X=0.0 (BNT). Peaks of electromechanical coupling factor, dielectric constant, piezoelectric constant and elastic compliance were obtained at X=0.16–0.20 of the MPB region. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties are enhanced in the MPB region for [Bi0.5(Na1-XKX)0.5]TiO3, similar to that observed for Pb(Zr, Ti)O3.

Plasma processes for depositing low dielectric constant films

Abstract: A method and apparatus for depositing a low dielectric constant film by reaction of an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas comprising carbon at a constant RF power level. Dissociation of the oxidizing gas can be increased prior to mixing with the organosilicon compound, preferably within a separate microwave chamber, to assist in controlling the carbon content of the deposited film. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane film has good barrier properties for use as a liner or cap layer adjacent other dielectric layers. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane film may also be used as an etch stop and an intermetal dielectric layer for fabricating dual damascene structures. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane films also provide excellent adhesion between different dielectric layers.

Elementary electronic structure

Abstract: The basic approach bonding in tetrahedral semiconductors elastic properties of semiconductors the dielectric properties of semiconductors semiconductor energy bands electronic properties effects of lattice distortions impurities and defects bonding in ionic crystals elastic properties of ionic crystals dielectric properties of ionic solids covalent insulators, SiO2 simple metals, electronic structure simple metals, bonding properties transition metals f-shell metals transition-metal (AB) compounds other transition and f-shell compounds surfaces and interfaces other systems.

Electrical properties of hafnium silicate gate dielectrics deposited directly on silicon

Abstract: Hafnium silicate (HfSixOy) gate dielectric films with ∼6 at. % Hf exhibit significantly improved leakage properties over SiO2 in the ultrathin regime while remaining thermally stable in direct contact with Si. Capacitance–voltage measurements show an equivalent oxide thickness (tox) of less than 18 A for a 50 A HfSixOy film deposited directly on a Si substrate, with no significant dispersion of the capacitance for frequencies ranging from 10 kHz to 1 MHz. Current–voltage measurements show for the same film a leakage current of 1.2×10−6 A/cm2 at 1 V bias. Hysteresis in these films is measured to be less than 20 mV, the breakdown field is measured to be EBD∼10 MV/cm, and the midgap interface state density is Dit∼1011 cm−2 eV−1. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy shows no signs of reaction or crystallization in HfSixOy films on Si after being annealed at 800 °C for 30 min.

Ultrashort-pulse laser machining of dielectric materials

Abstract: There is a strong deviation from the usual τ1/2 scaling of laser damage fluence for pulses below 10 ps in dielectric materials. This behavior is a result of the transition from a thermally dominated damage mechanism to one dominated by plasma formation on a time scale too short for significant energy transfer to the lattice. This new mechanism of damage (material removal) is accompanied by a qualitative change in the morphology of the interaction site and essentially no collateral damage. High precision machining of all dielectrics (oxides, fluorides, explosives, teeth, glasses, ceramics, SiC, etc.) with no thermal shock or distortion of the remaining material by this mechanism is described.

Aperture-coupled patch antenna on UC-PBG substrate

Abstract: The recently developed uniplanar compact photonic bandgap (UC-PBG) substrate is successfully used to reduce surface-wave losses for an aperture-coupled fed patch antenna on a thick high dielectric-constant substrate. The surface-wave dispersion diagram of the UC-PBG substrate has been numerically computed for two different substrate thickness (25 and 50 mil) and found to have a complete stopband in the frequency range of 10.9-13.5 and 11.4-12.8 GHz, respectively. The thicker substrate is then used to enhance broadside gain of a patch antenna working in the stopband at 12 GHz. Computed results and measured data show that, due to effective surface-wave suppression, the antenna mounted on the UC-PBG substrate has over 3-dB higher gain in the broadside direction than the same antenna etched on a grounded dielectric slab with same thickness and dielectric constant. Cross-polarization level remains 13 dB down the co-polar component level for both E- and H-planes.

Effect of crystalline phase, orientation and temperature on the dielectric properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)

Abstract: The effect of crystalline phase, uniaxial drawing and temperature on the real (e′) and imaginary (e″) parts of the relative complex permittivity of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was studied in the frequency range between 102 and 106 Hz. Samples containing predominantly α and β phases, or a mixture of these, were obtained by crystallization from a DMF solution at different temperatures. α phase samples were also obtained from melt crystallization and from commercial films supplied by Bemberg Folien. Different molecular orientations were obtained by uniaxial drawing of α and β phase samples. The results showed that the crystalline phase exerts strong influence on the values of e′ and e″, indicating that the αa relaxation process, associated with the glass transition of PVDF, is not exclsively related to the amorphous region of the polymer. An interphase region, which maintains the conformational characteristics of the crystalline regions, should influence the process decisively. The molecular orientation increased the values of e′ for both PVDF phases and modified its dependence with temperature over the whole frequency range studied. The influence of the crystallization and molecular orientation conditions on the dc electric conductivity (σdc) were also verified. The value of σdc was slightly higher for samples crystallized from solution at the lowest temperature and decreased with draw ratio.

Dielectric relaxation of aqueous NaCl solutions

Abstract: The complex dielectric permittivity of aqueous sodium chloride solutions has been determined in the frequency range 0.2 ≤ v(GHz) ≤ 20 with a commercial dielectric measurement system based on a vector network analyzer. NaCl solutions 0.1 ≤ m (mol kg-1) ≤ 5 (mass fraction 0.005 ≤ w ≤ 0.23) were investigated at 5, 20, 25, and 35°C. An improved calibration procedure of the dielectric measurement system for conducting samples was developed. The complex permittivity spectra have been represented by a Cole-Cole relaxation time distribution. Where possible, the obtained fitting parameters, static permittivity ∈ and relaxation time τ, and distribution parameter a, are compared with literature data to assess the performance of the instrument, which was found to be comparable to that of time domain and waveguide systems. Effective solvation numbers were deduced from the effect of NaCl concentration on ∈. The data suggest that in addition to the irrotational bonding of water molecules by Na+ ions, kinetic depolarization under slip boundary conditions determines the solution permittivity. A three-state model is proposed to describe the concentration dependence of τ. © Copyright 1999 by the American Chemical Society.

Scaling the gate dielectric: materials, integration, and reliability

Abstract: In this paper a review of the more "fundamental" concerns regarding the scaling of the gate dielectric in the ultrathin regime is presented. Material issues are discussed pertaining to the integration of silicon oxynitride and oxide/nitride stacked layers and how such films might reduce or minimize boron penetration problems and address leakage current and reliability concerns. A methodology is presented to calculate device and chip lifetimes for MOS structures on the basis of data extracted from voltage- and temperature-accelerated measurements. Some integration issues regarding higher-k materials are also discussed because of their ability to solve the scaling problem. However, difficulties are involved in integrating them into a CMOS process flow.

Lattice dynamics of BaTiO 3 , PbTiO 3 , and PbZrO 3 : A comparative first-principles study

Abstract: The full phonon dispersion relations of lead titanate and lead zirconate in the cubic perovskite structure are computed using first-principles variational density-functional perturbation theory, with ab initio pseudopotentials and a plane-wave basis set. Comparison with the results previously obtained for barium titanate shows that the change of a single constituent (Ba to Pb, Ti to Zr) has profound effects on the character and dispersion of unstable modes, with significant implications for the nature of the phase transitions and the dielectric and piezoelectric responses of the compounds. Examination of the interatomic force constants in real space, obtained by a transformation which correctly treats the long-range dipolar contribution, shows that most are strikingly similar, while it is the differences in a few key interactions which produce the observed changes in the phonon dispersions. These trends suggest the possibility of the transferability of force constants to predict the lattice dynamics of perovskite solid solutions.

Hydrogenated oxidized silicon carbon material

Abstract: A low dielectric constant, thermally stable hydrogenated oxidized silicon carbon film which can be used as an interconnect dielectric in IC chips is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for fabricating a thermally stable hydrogenated oxidized silicon carbon low dielectric constant film utilizing a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. Electronic devices containing insulating layers of thermally stable hydrogenated oxidized silicon carbon low dielectric constant materials that are prepared by the method are further disclosed. To enable the fabrication of thermally stable hydrogenated oxidized silicon carbon low dielectric constant film, specific precursor materials having a ring structure are preferred.

Experimental observation of localized optical excitations in random metal-dielectric films

Abstract: Localization of optical excitations within subwavelength areas of a random metal-dielectric film is observed using near-field scanning optical microscopy. This effect is attributed to Anderson localization of surface plasmon modes in a semicontinuous metal film. The localized modes are seen as giant fluctuations of local electric fields spatially concentrated in ``hot'' spots, where the fields are much greater than the applied field. The local near-field spectra consisting of strong resonance peaks are detected and shown to depend markedly on the sample site probed. The observed spectral peaks correspond to localized modes of random metal-dielectric films.

The impact of high-/spl kappa/ gate dielectrics and metal gate electrodes on sub-100 nm MOSFETs

Abstract: The potential impact of high-/spl kappa/ gate dielectrics on device short-channel performance is studied over a wide range of dielectric permittivities using a two-dimensional (2-D) simulator implemented with quantum mechanical models. It is found that the short-channel performance degradation is caused by the fringing fields from the gate to the source/drain regions. These fringing fields in the source/drain regions further induce electric fields from the source/drain to channel which weakens the gate control. The gate dielectric thickness-to-length aspect ratio is a proper parameter to quantify the percentage of the fringing field and thus the short channel performance degradation. In addition, the gate stack architecture plays an important role in the determination of the device short-channel performance degradation. Using double-layer gate stack structures and low-/spl kappa/ dielectric as spacer materials can well confine the electric fields within the channel thereby minimizing short-channel performance degradation. The introduction of a metal gate not only eliminates the poly gate depletion effect, but also improves short-channel performance. Several approaches have been proposed to adjust the proper threshold voltage when midgap materials or metal gates are used.

Complex permittivity of some ultralow loss dielectric crystals at cryogenic temperatures

Abstract: Whispering gallery modes were used for very accurate permittivity and dielectric loss measurements of ultralow loss isotropic and uniaxially anisotropic single crystals. Several materials including sapphire, YAG, quartz, and SrLaAlO4 were measured. The total absolute uncertainty in the real part of permittivity tensor components was estimated to be ±0.1%, limited principally by the uncertainty in sample dimensions. Imaginary parts of permittivities were measured with uncertainties of about 10%, limited by the accuracy of Q-factor measurements of whispering gallery modes. It has been observed that, for most crystals, dielectric losses can be approximated by a power function of absolute temperature only in limited temperature ranges. At temperatures between 4-50 K, losses are often affected by impurities, which are always present in real crystals.

Realization of high tunability barium strontium titanate thin films by rf magnetron sputtering

Abstract: Ferroelectric thin films are currently being used to develop tunable microwave circuits based on the electric-field dependence of the dielectric constant. (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 (BST) films prepared by sputtering on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates are found to exhibit a capacitance change (tunability) of nearly 4:1. Higher tunability has been attributed to the (100) texturing of the BST films and is a result of the biaxial tensile stress imposed by Si on BST making the polar axis oriented in plane. Electrical characterization shows that the dielectric permittivity increases with increase in film thickness (up to ∼200 nm).

Electric field dependence of the exchange-correlation potential in molecular chains

Abstract: Density functional calculations on the (non)linear optical properties of conjugated molecular chains using currently popular exchange-correlation (xc) potentials give overestimations of several orders of magnitude. By analyzing ``exact'' and Krieger-Li-Iafrate xc potentials, the error is traced back to an incorrect electric field dependence of the ``response part'' of the xc potential in local and gradient-corrected density approximations, which lack a linear term counteracting the applied electric field.

Observation of total omnidirectional reflection from a one-dimensional dielectric lattice

Abstract: AlF6/ZnSe multilayer structure developed by means of standard optical technology. The structure was found to have a reflection coefficient of more then 99% in the range of incident angles 0°-86°at the wavelength of 632.8 nm for s-polarization. The results are likely to stimulate new experiments on photonic crystals and controlled spontaneous emission.

Patch antennas on externally perforated high dielectric constant substrates

Abstract: Smaller physical size and wider bandwidth are two antenna engineering goals of great interest in the wireless world. To this end, the concept of external substrate perforation is applied to patch antennas in this paper. The goal was to overcome the undesirable features of thick and high dielectric constant substrates for patch antennas without sacrificing any of the desired features, namely, small element size and bandwidth. The idea is to use substrate perforation exterior to the patch to lower the effective dielectric constant of the substrate surrounding the patch. This change in the effective dielectric constant has been observed to help mitigate the unwanted interference pattern of edge diffraction/scattering and leaky waves. The numerical data presented in this paper were generated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. Using this numerical method, a patch antenna was simulated on finite-sized ground planes of two different substrate thicknesses, with and without external substrate perforation. The computations showed the directivity drop in the radiation pattern caused by substrate propagation was noticeably improved by introducing the substrate perforation external to the patch for the case of a patch antenna on a relatively thick substrate without any loss of bandwidth. Measurements of a few patch antennas fabricated on high dielectric constant substrates with and without substrate perforation are included for completeness. Good correlation between the computed results and measurements is observed.

The effect of stress on the dielectric properties of barium strontium titanate thin films

Abstract: Barium strontium titanate thin films are being developed as capacitors in dynamic random access memories These films, grown on silicon substrates, are under tensile residual stress By a converse electrostrictive effect, the in-plane tensile stress reduces the capacitance in the thickness direction of the film We measured the substrate curvature change upon the removal of the film, and found the magnitude of the residual stress to be 610 MPa In a separate experiment, we applied a force to vary the stress in a film on a substrate, and simultaneously recorded the capacitance change of the film The measurements quantify the effect of stress on thin film capacitance The stress free capacitance was found to be 23% higher than the capacitance under residual stress

Complex permittivity determination from propagation constant measurements

Abstract: The authors present a new transmission line method for measuring the complex permittivity of dielectric materials using propagation constant measurements. In contrast to previous methods, a network analyzer calibration is unnecessary since calibrated scattering parameters are not required. They use measurements in X-band waveguide to show that this technique compares well with the transmission/reflection and cylindrical cavity methods.

Zirconium and/or hafnium silicon-oxynitride gate dielectric

Abstract: A field effect semiconductor device comprising a high permittivity zirconium (or hafnium) silicon-oxynitride gate dielectric and a method of forming the same are disclosed herein. The device comprises a silicon substrate 20 having a semiconducting channel region 24 formed therein. A zirconium silicon-oxynitride gate dielectric layer 36 is formed over this substrate, followed by a conductive gate 38. Zirconium silicon-oxynitride gate dielectric layer 36 has a dielectric constant is significantly higher than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide. However, the zirconium silicon-oxynitride gate dielectric may also be designed to have the advantages of silicon dioxide, e.g. high breakdown, low interface state density, and high stability.

Temperature effects on soil bulk dielectric permittivity measured by time domain reflectometry: A physical model

Abstract: Near-surface measurements of soil water content (θ) using time domain reflectometry (TDR) may exhibit anomalous behavior in the presence of diurnal temperature (T) fluctuations. Experimental results obtained in a companion paper led to the hypothesis that the observed bulk dielectric permittivity (ϵb) is determined by an interplay between two competing phenomena: (1) the reduction in the dielectric permittivity of bulk water with increased T; and (2) the increase in TDR-measured ϵb with increased T due to release of bound water. In this study we develop a physically based model for the temperature dependency of TDR-measured soil bulk dielectric permittivity and propose practical correction factors. The model considers the modified properties of water near solid surfaces to define a layer of rotationally hindered water (within the TDR frequency bandwidth) having a temperature dependent thickness. Changes in measured ϵb(T) are thus attributed to variations in the thickness of the rotationally hindered layer which has a lower dielectric permittivity than free water and hence is less “visible” to travel-time-based TDR waveform analyses. The model is sensitive to the soil specific surface area and the water content, both of which determine the ratio of bound to bulk soil water. Comparisons with experimental data covering a wide range of soils, water contents, and temperatures showed good agreement. Further studies are needed to evaluate some of the model's critical parameters such as the cutoff frequency below which water is considered bound. A temperature correction approximation is based on analytical expressions for TDR-measured bulk dielectric permitivity and requires estimates of soil specific surface area and bulk density, which may be estimated from soil texture. The thermodielectric sensitivity of TDR-measured bulk dielectric permittivity and water content may serve as a basis for estimating soil specific surface area.

Charge, Polarizability, and Photoionization of Single Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Abstract: The electrostatic properties of individual CdSe nanocrystals are directly measured using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) in dry air at room temperature. We determine that the static dielectric constant of CdSe nanocrystals with diameters 5 nm is uniform. However, the charge per nanocrystal is nonuniform, with some nanocrystals possessing a positive charge. Furthermore, a small fraction of the nanocrystals exhibit a blinking behavior in their charge. This is entirely unexpected for a dielectric particle with no additional charge carriers. In addition, EFM measurements with simultaneous photoexcitation provide direct evidence of nanocrystal photoionization and increased blinking behavior.

Insulator investigation on SiC for improved reliability

Abstract: Significant improved high-temperature reliability of SiC metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices has been achieved with both thermally grown oxides and by using a stacked dielectric consisting of silicon oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO). Capacitors of p-type 6H-SiC, n-type 6H-SiC and n-type 4H-SiC were fabricated with a variety of insulators. The best performance was accomplished only with insulators incorporating silicon dioxide. A new thermal oxidation process of growing a dry oxide then following with a wet re-oxidation anneal produces an oxide with the dielectric strength of a dry oxide and the high-quality interface of a wet oxide. MIS field effect transistors (MISFETs) with an ONO gate insulator had surface channel mobilities similar to MISFETs with thermal gate oxides, and demonstrated a lifetime of 10 days at 335/spl deg/C and 15 V bias. The lifetime of the ONO MISFET was a factor of 100 higher than for devices fabricated with deposited oxides, which had been the prior state of the art for high-temperature MISFETs on SiC.

A Raman and dielectric study of ferroelectric ceramics

Abstract: Dielectric and Raman scattering experiments were performed on various ceramics with composition Ba(Ti1-xZrx)O3. Such lead-free, environmental-friendly materials were shown, from dielectric measurements, to exhibit behaviours extending from conventional to relaxor ferroelectrics on increasing the zirconium concentration. The evolution of the Raman spectra was studied as a function of temperature for various compositions, and the spectroscopic signature of the corresponding phases was determined. In the relaxor state, the variation of the integrated intensity of the Raman lines with temperature showed a plateau at low temperature. This anomaly was also detected as a peak in depolarization current measurements, and attributed to ergodicity breaking which characterizes usual relaxor systems. Raman results hint at locally rhombohedral polar nanoregions resulting from the random fields associated with Zr ions.