# US 11,444,150 B2 · Method and apparatus for a thin film dielectric stack

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- Number: US 11,444,150 B2
- Document ID: US11444150B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/118,916
- Filed: 2020-12-11
- Published: 2021-04-08
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-27
- Assignees: NXP USA, Inc.
- Applicants: NXP USA, Inc.
- Inventors: Marina Zelner; Andrew Vladimir Claude Cervin; Edward Provo Wallis Horne
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444150B2

## CPC

- H10D 1/68: Capacitors having no potential barriers
- H10D 1/684: {the dielectrics comprising multiple layers, e.g. comprising buffer layers, seed layers or gradient layers}
- H10D 1/696: {comprising multiple layers, e.g. comprising a barrier layer and a metal layer (barrier layers to prevent diffusion of hydrogen or oxygen in perovskite based capacitors H10D1/688)}
- H10P 14/6329: {using physical ablation of a target, e.g. physical vapour deposition or pulsed laser deposition}
- H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD}
- H10P 14/6342: {Liquid deposition, e.g. spin-coating, sol-gel techniques or spray coating}
- H10P 14/6506: {Formation of intermediate materials}
- H10P 14/6544: {to change the morphology of the insulating materials, e.g. transformation of an amorphous layer into a crystalline layer}
- H10P 14/69393: {the material containing tantalum, e.g. Ta2O5}
- H10P 14/69394: {the material containing titanium, e.g. TiO2}
- H10P 14/69398: {the material having a perovskite structure, e.g. BaTiO3}
- H10D 1/694: {comprising noble metals or noble metal oxides}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a thin film capacitor a silicon substrate having a silicon dioxide layer; an adhesion layer on the silicon dioxide layer, wherein the adhesion layer is a polar dielectric; a first electrode layer on the adhesion layer; a dielectric layer on the first electrode layer; and a second electrode layer on the dielectric layer. Other embodiments are disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A thin film capacitor comprising:
a silicon substrate having a silicon dioxide layer;
an adhesion layer on the silicon dioxide layer, wherein the adhesion layer is a polar dielectric material;
a first electrode layer on the adhesion layer;
a dielectric layer on the first electrode layer;
a second electrode layer on the dielectric layer; and
connections for the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, or both.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The thin film capacitor of claim 1, further comprising another adhesion layer between the adhesion layer and the first electrode layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The thin film capacitor of claim 2, wherein the another adhesion layer is a thin film of Ti, Ta, TiOx or TaOx.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The thin film capacitor of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises:
a first dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, wherein the first dielectric layer has a columnar-oriented grain structure; and
a group of second dielectric layers stacked on the first dielectric layer, wherein each of the group of second dielectric layers has a randomly-oriented grain structure, wherein at least one of the group of second dielectric layers is formed from a different material from at least one other of the group of second dielectric layers.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The thin film capacitor of claim 1, wherein the adhesion layer is between 50 to 500 Angstroms thick.

### Claim 6

A thin film capacitor comprising:
a silicon substrate with a silicon dioxide layer;
an adhesion layer on the silicon dioxide layer of the silicon substrate, wherein the adhesion layer comprises a polar dielectric selected from a family of niobate, zirconate, titanate, and silicate or a mixture thereof, and wherein the adhesion layer is not any thin film of Ti, Ta, TiOx and TaOx, wherein the adhesion layer is between 50 to 500 Angstroms thick;
another adhesion layer on the adhesion layer, wherein the another adhesion layer comprises a thin film, and the another adhesion layer comprising one of Ti or TiOx;
a first electrode layer on the another adhesion layer;
a dielectric layer on the first electrode layer;
a second electrode layer on the dielectric layer; and
a connection for the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, or both.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The thin film capacitor of claim 6, wherein the polar dielectric is selected from a family of alkali zirconate, alkali niobate, alkali silicate, alkali-earth zirconate, alkali-earth niobate, alkali-earth silicate, or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The thin film capacitor of claim 6, wherein the adhesion layer is amorphous.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The thin film capacitor of claim 6, wherein the dielectric layer comprises:
a first dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, wherein the first dielectric layer has a columnar-oriented grain structure; and
a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, wherein the second dielectric layer has a randomly-oriented grain structure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The thin film capacitor of claim 9, further comprising:
a group of additional second dielectric layers formed on the second dielectric layer and on each other, and wherein the second dielectric layer and the group of additional second dielectric layers are formed from the same material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The thin film capacitor of claim 9, further comprising:
a group of additional second dielectric layers formed on each other, and wherein at least one of the second dielectric layer and the group of additional second dielectric layers is formed from a different material from at least one other of the second dielectric layer and the group of additional second dielectric layers.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The thin film capacitor of claim 9, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises a pyrochlore phase ferroelectric film.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The thin film capacitor of claim 9, wherein the first dielectric layer is formed from a different material from the second dielectric layer, and wherein the adhesion layer comprises barium-strontium-titanate (BST).

### Claim 14

A thin film capacitor comprising:
a silicon substrate with a silicon dioxide layer;
a first adhesion layer on the silicon dioxide layer of the silicon substrate, wherein the first adhesion layer comprises a polar dielectric selected from a family of niobate, and silicate or a mixture thereof, wherein the first adhesion layer is not any thin film of Ti, Ta, TiOx and TaOx, wherein the first adhesion layer is poly-crystalline, and wherein the first adhesion layer is between 50 to 500 Angstroms thick;
a second adhesion layer on the first adhesion layer, wherein the second adhesion layer comprises a thin film, the second adhesion layer comprising one of Ti or TiOx;
a first electrode layer on the second adhesion layer;
a dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a first dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, and a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer;
a second electrode layer on the dielectric layer; and
a connection for the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, or both.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The thin film capacitor of claim 14, wherein the second adhesion layer comprises Ti, Ta, TiOx or TaOx.

### Claim 16

A thin film capacitor comprising:
a silicon substrate with a silicon dioxide layer;
an adhesion layer on the silicon dioxide layer of the silicon substrate, wherein the adhesion layer comprises a polar dielectric selected from a family of niobate, zirconate, titanate, and silicate or a mixture thereof, wherein the adhesion layer is not any thin film of Ti, Ta, TiOx and TaOx, wherein the adhesion layer is poly-crystalline, and wherein the adhesion layer is between 50 to 500 Angstroms thick;
another adhesion layer on the adhesion layer, the another adhesion layer comprising one of Ti or TiOx, and the another adhesion layer comprising a thin film;
a first electrode layer on the another adhesion layer;
a first dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, wherein the first dielectric layer has a columnar-oriented grain structure;
a group of second dielectric layers stacked on the first dielectric layer to obtain a dielectric stack, wherein each of the group of second dielectric layers has a randomly-oriented grain structure, wherein at least one of the group of second dielectric layers is formed from a different material from at least one other of the group of second dielectric layers;
a second electrode layer on the group of second dielectric layers, wherein the dielectric stack extends between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer;
a connection for the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, or both.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The thin film capacitor of claim 16, wherein the polar dielectric is selected from a family of alkali zirconate, alkali niobate, alkali silicate, alkali-earth zirconate, alkali-earth niobate, and alkali-earth silicate, or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 18 (depends on 6)

The thin film capacitor of claim 6, wherein the adhesion layer is polycrystalline.