A thin film structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, and an upper layer on the dielectric material layer. The dielectric material layer including Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 satisfies at least one of a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition the dielectric material layer is formed to a thickness of 5 nm or less and in the second condition the x in Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.5.

A thin film structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, and an upper layer on the dielectric material layer. The dielectric material layer including Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 satisfies at least one of a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition the dielectric material layer is formed to a thickness of 5 nm or less and in the second condition the x in Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.5.

A powder of melted particles, more than 95% by number of the particles exhibiting a circularity of greater than or equal to 0.85. The powder including more than 99.8% of a rare earth metal oxide and/or of hafnium oxide and/or of an aluminum oxide, as percentage by mass based on the oxides. The powder has a median particle size D.sub.50 of less than 15 μm, a 90 percentile of the particle sizes, D.sub.90, of less than 30 μm, and a size dispersion index (D.sub.90−D.sub.10)/D.sub.10 of less than 2, and a relative density of greater than 90%. The D.sub.n percentiles of the powder are the particle sizes corresponding to the percentages, by number, of n%, on the cumulative distribution curve of the size of the particles in the powder and the particle sizes are classified by increasing order.

A thin film structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, and an upper layer on the dielectric material layer. The dielectric material layer including Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 satisfies at least one of a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition the dielectric material layer is formed to a thickness of 5 nm or less and in the second condition the x in Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.5.

A thin film structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, and an upper layer on the dielectric material layer. The dielectric material layer including Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 satisfies at least one of a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition the dielectric material layer is formed to a thickness of 5 nm or less and in the second condition the x in Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.5.

A thin film structure including a dielectric material layer, a method of manufacturing the same, and an electronic device employing the same are disclosed. The disclosed thin film structure includes a first conductive layer; a first dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, the first dielectric material layer having a crystal phase and including a metal oxide; an In.sub.xO.sub.y-based seed material layer formed on the first dielectric material layer and having a thickness less than a thickness of the first dielectric material layer; and a second conductive layer formed on the seed material layer.

A thin film structure including a dielectric material layer, a method of manufacturing the same, and an electronic device employing the same are disclosed. The disclosed thin film structure includes a first conductive layer; a first dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, the first dielectric material layer having a crystal phase and including a metal oxide; an In.sub.xO.sub.y-based seed material layer formed on the first dielectric material layer and having a thickness less than a thickness of the first dielectric material layer; and a second conductive layer formed on the seed material layer.

A powder of fused particles. The powder includes, in percentage by weight based on the oxides, more than 98% of a stabilized oxide selected from stabilized zirconium oxides, stabilized hafnium oxides and mixtures thereof, the stabilized oxide being stabilized by a stabilizer selected from the oxides of Y, Ca, Ce, Sc, Mg, In, La, Gd, Nd, Sm, Dy, Er, Yb, Eu, Pr, and Ta, called stabilizing oxides, and the mixtures of these stabilizing oxides. The powder has: a median particle size D.sub.50 under 15 m, a 90th percentile of the particle sizes, D.sub.90, under 30 m, and a size dispersion index (D.sub.90D.sub.10)/D.sub.10 below 2, and a relative density above 90%. The percentiles D.sub.n of the powder are the particle sizes corresponding to the percentages, by number, of n %, on the cumulative distribution curve of the powder particle size and the particle sizes are classified by increasing order.

A dielectric composition including a metal oxide particle including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less capped with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including synthesizing metal oxide particles including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less; and capping the metal oxide particles with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including forming an interconnect layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first hardmask material and a different second hardmask material on the interconnect layer, wherein at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material is formed over an area of interconnect layer target for a via landing and at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material include metal oxide nanoparticles; and forming an opening to the interconnect layer selectively through one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material.

A dielectric composition including a metal oxide particle including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less capped with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including synthesizing metal oxide particles including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less; and capping the metal oxide particles with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including forming an interconnect layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first hardmask material and a different second hardmask material on the interconnect layer, wherein at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material is formed over an area of interconnect layer target for a via landing and at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material include metal oxide nanoparticles; and forming an opening to the interconnect layer selectively through one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material.