The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a transistor formed on a silicon substrate and a capacitor electrically connected to the transistor by a conductive via. The capacitor comprises upper and lower conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of a polar layer, wherein the lower conductive oxide electrode is electrically connected to a drain of the transistor. The capacitor additionally comprises a polar layer comprising a base polar material doped with a dopant, wherein the base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen, wherein the dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The semiconductor device additionally comprises a lower barrier layer comprising a refractory metal or an intermetallic compound between the lower conductive oxide electrode and the conductive via.

A capacitor is disclosed. The capacitor includes a first metal layer, a second metal layer on the first metal layer, a ferroelectric layer on the second metal layer, and a third metal layer on the ferroelectric layer. The second metal layer includes a first non-reactive barrier metal and the third metal layer includes a second non-reactive barrier metal. A fourth metal layer is on the third metal layer.

Disclosed is a capacitor having a high dielectric constant and low leakage current and a method for fabricating the same, wherein the capacitor may include a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a dielectric layer stack between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, a dielectric interface layer between the dielectric layer stack and the second conductive layer, and a high work function interface layer between the dielectric interface layer and the second conductive layer.

Described is a ferroelectric based capacitor that reduces non-polar monoclinic phase and increases polar orthorhombic phase by epitaxial strain engineering in the oxide thin film and/or electrodes. As such, both memory window and reliability are improved. The capacitor comprises: a first structure comprising metal, wherein the first structure has a first lattice constant; a second structure comprising metal, wherein the second structure has a second lattice constant; and a third structure comprising ferroelectric material (e.g., oxide of Hf or Zr), wherein the third structure is between and adjacent to the first and second structures, wherein the third structure has a third lattice constant, and wherein the first and second lattice constants are smaller than the third lattice constant.

Described is a ferroelectric-based capacitor that improves reliability of a ferroelectric memory by using low-leakage insulating thin film. In one example, the low-leakage insulating thin film is positioned between a bottom electrode and a ferroelectric oxide. In another example, the low-leakage insulating thin film is positioned between a top electrode and ferroelectric oxide. In yet another example, the low-leakage insulating thin film is positioned in the middle of ferroelectric oxide to reduce the leakage current and improve reliability of the ferroelectric oxide.

A first-layer insulating film having a barrier property against a determined element contained in a ferroelectric capacitor as well as an oxygen permeability, a hydrogen permeability, and a water permeability is formed over a surface of the ferroelectric capacitor formed over a substrate. After that, heat treatment is performed in an oxidizing atmosphere. After the heat treatment, a second insulating film having a hydrogen permeability and a water permeability lower than those of the first-layer insulating film respectively is formed over a surface of the first-layer insulating film in a non-reducing atmosphere. A third-layer insulating film is formed over a surface of the second-layer insulating film. By doing so, degradation of a ferroelectric film under and after the formation of a semiconductor device having the ferroelectric capacitor is suppressed and deterioration in the characteristics of the ferroelectric capacitor is suppressed.

Provided is a semiconductor device that has a low interface resistance between a contact plug and a bottom electrode of a real ferroelectric capacitor. A real capacitor oxidation suppression structure ST including a dummy ferroelectric capacitor 312 and a second plug 311 is formed. The dummy ferroelectric capacitor 312 includes a second bottom electrode 51, a second ferroelectric film 52, and a second top electrode 53, and is not used as a nonvolatile memory element. The second bottom electrode 51 is formed on an interlayer insulating film 50. The second ferroelectric film 52 is formed on the second bottom electrode 51. The second top electrode 53 is formed on the second ferroelectric film 52. The second plug 311 penetrates the interlayer insulating film 50 and electrically connects the second bottom electrode 51 to a semiconductor substrate 40.

The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a capacitor which in turn comprises a polar layer comprising a base polar material doped with a dopant. The base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen. The dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The capacitor stack additionally comprises first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer. The capacitor stack further comprises first and second barrier metal layers on respective ones of the first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer.

The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a capacitor which in turn comprises a polar layer comprising a base polar material doped with a dopant. The base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen. The dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The capacitor stack additionally comprises first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer. The capacitor stack further comprises first and second barrier metal layers on respective ones of the first and second crystalline conductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer.

The disclosed technology generally relates to ferroelectric materials and semiconductor devices, and more particularly to semiconductor memory devices incorporating doped polar materials. In one aspect, a semiconductor device comprises a capacitor, which in turn comprises a polar layer comprising a crystalline base polar material doped with a dopant. The base polar material includes one or more metal elements and one or both of oxygen or nitrogen, wherein the dopant comprises a metal element that is different from the one or more metal elements and is present at a concentration such that a ferroelectric switching voltage of the capacitor is different from that of the capacitor having the base polar material without being doped with the dopant by more than about 100 mV. The capacitor additionally comprises first and second crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrodes on opposing sides of the polar layer, wherein the polar layer has a lattice constant that is matched within about 20% of a lattice constant of one or both of the first and second crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrodes. The first crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrode serves as a template for growing the polar layer thereon, such that at least a portion of the polar layer is pseudomorphically formed on the first crystalline conductive or semiconductive oxide electrode.