Conduction Mechanisms and Breakdown Characteristics of Al₂O₃-Doped ZrO₂ High-k Dielectrics for Three-Dimensional Stacked Metal–Insulator–Metal Capacitors

This paper presents the results of I-V and constant-voltage-stress measurements on symmetrical dielectric ZrO2/Al2O3/ZrO2film stacks of different thicknesses. The films were grown by atomic layer deposition and structured into cylindrical metal-insulator-metal capacitors. The temperature-dependent leakage characteristics and time-dependent dielectric breakdown behaviors were investigated. A correlation was found between the structural composition, the defect density, and the conduction mechanism.