Device scaling has been the engine driving the continued pervasiveness of the microelectronics revolution. The SIA roadmap calls for 4-5nm films (oxide equivalent thickness) in 2000, and <1.5nm within 10 years. While it is obvious that SiO2 and oxynitride dielectrics will be with us for the near future, their processing and performance will face severe challenges. Alternate gate dielectric materials with higher dielectric constants are also being developed. They will be introduced as SiO2 performance diminishes. This book highlights the advanced processing of ultrathin SiO2, oxynitrides, composite oxide/nitrides, and nitrides, as well as work on high-K gate dielectrics. Topics include: advances in ultrathin oxides and oxynitrides; silicon nitride; silicon oxynitrides and nitrides - alternative processes for growing SiO2; atomic-scale control of the dielectric/silicon interface; electrical properties of ultrathin gate dielectrics; reliability of ultrathin gate dielectrics; high-K gate dielectrics; high-K gate dielectrics - alternative processes; characterization of gate dielectrics and integrated processing.
