On the origin of the mobility reduction in n- and p-metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors with hafnium-based/metal gate stacks

We examine the mobility reduction measured in hafnium-based dielectrics in n- and p-MOSFETs by means of extensive comparison between accurate multi-subband Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data for reasonably mature process technologies. We have considered scattering with remote (soft-optical) phonons and remote Coulomb interaction with single layers and dipole charges. A careful examination of model assumptions and limitations leads us to the conclusion that soft optical phonon scattering cannot quantitatively explain by itself the experimental mobility reduction reported by several groups for neither the electron nor the hole inversion layers. Experimental data can be reproduced only assuming consistently large concentrations of Coulomb scattering centers in the gate stack. However, the corresponding charge or dipole density would result in a large threshold voltage shift not observed in the experiments. We thus conclude that the main mechanisms responsible for the mobility reduction in MOSFETs featuring Hafnium-based high-κ dielectric have not been completely identified yet. Additional physical mechanisms that could reconcile simulations with experimental results are suggested and critically discussed.