Dielectric properties of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/epoxy composites by lamination process for embedded capacitor application

Because of the fabricability of polymer and excellent dielectric properties of ceramics, ceramic-polymer composites have been investigated widely for embedded capacitors which can improve electric performance greatly. In order to obtain further application of composite, the embedded capacitors with three-layer sandwich structure containing the BaTiO₃/epoxy composites as dielectric layer and copper foil as electrodes were fabricated. The dielectric properties are improved by preventing the defect in dielectric layer through lamination process. Our results show that the capacitors exhibit high dielectric permittivity (ε = 20), low dielectric loss (0.01) at 10³ Hz from 40 to 100 °C and high breakdown strength (24 kV/mm), which indicate that the lamination is a promising process for embedded capacitor fabrication and BaTiO₃/epoxy composites have potential for high-performance embedded capacitors application in field of microelectronics.     

Effect of plasma treatment on the microstructure and electrical properties of MIM capacitors with PECVD silicon oxide and silicon nitride

Metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitors with plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) nitride exhibit trap-induced dispersive behavior and electrical hysteresis, which lead to degradation in capacitor linearity at low frequencies. The dominant defect was suggested to be silicon dangling bonds originated from nitrogen deficiency. Previous methods to eliminate the dispersive behavior and electrical hysteresis include use of oxide–nitride–oxide (ONO) stacks and/or plasma pre-treatment of silicon substrate before nitride deposition [Van Huylenbroeck S, Decoutere S, Venegas R, Jenei S, Winderickx G (2002) IEEE Electron Device Lett 23:191; Lau WS (1990) Jpn J Appl Phys 29:L690]. In this study, the plasma post-treatment method was employed; MIM capacitors with PECVD oxide and nitride were treated with N₂O and SiH₄/NH₃ plasma, respectively, after deposition of the dielectric layer. No apparent change in film microstructure is observed after plasma treatment. Plasma post-treatment is effective in eliminating the electrical hysteresis shift of the nitride capacitors. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectra suggest an increase of the Si–H bond after SiH₄/NH₃ plasma bombardment of the nitride films. Auger depth profiling indicates a slight increase of nitrogen to silicon ratio after plasma treatment. The increase of the Si–H bonds as well as the raise of nitrogen to silicon ratio are two possible causes for the elimination of the hysteresis shift of the plasma-treated nitride capacitors. The time dependent dielectric breakdown testing indicates a decrease in both the leakage current and the lifetime of the MIM capacitors treated with plasma. Possible dielectric degradation mechanism is explored.     

Study of electrical and micro-structural properties of high-κ gate dielectric stacks deposited using pulse laser deposition for MOS capacitor applications

The electrical properties of hafnium oxide (HfO₂) gate dielectric as a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure deposited using pulse laser deposition (PLD) technique at optimum substrate temperatures in an oxygen ambient gas are investigated. The film thickness and microstructure are examined using ellipsometer and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively to see the effect of substrate temperatures on the device properties. The electrical J–V, C–V characteristics of the dielectric films are investigated employing Al–HfO₂–Si MOS capacitor structure. The important parameters like leakage current density, flat-band voltage (V_fb) and oxide-charge density (Q_ox) for MOS capacitors are extracted and investigated for optimum substrate temperature. Further, electrical studies of these MOS capacitors have been carried out by incorporating La₂O₃ into HfO₂ to fabricate HfO₂/La₂O₃ dielectric stacks at an optimized substrate temperature of 800 °C using a PLD deposition technique under oxygen ambient. These Al–HfO₂–La₂O₃–Si dielectric stacks MOS capacitor structure are found to possess better electrical properties than that of HfO₂ based MOS capacitors using the PLD deposition technique.     

Mechanical vs. electrical failure mechanisms in high voltage,high energy density multilayer ceramic capacitors

Causes of breakdown, both mechanical and electrical, in high voltage, high energy density, BaTiO₃ capacitors were studied. The flexural strength of the capacitors was 96 MPa. Failure was due to surface defects or pores close to the surfaces of the samples. The dielectric breakdown strength of the samples was 181 kV/cm. The causes of breakdown were either electrode end effects or pores between the dielectric and electrode layers. Weibull statistics were used to determine if there was a correlation between mechanical failure and dielectric breakdown. A strong correlation between the two types of failure was not found in the study, in contrast to earlier studies of single dielectric layer capacitor materials.     

金属膜电极层对Na2O-PbO-Nb2O5-SiO2玻璃陶瓷电容器电性能的影响

玻璃陶瓷电容器内电极结构及界面形貌对电性能有重要影响.采用磁控溅射法在介质层与银浆料电极间分别制备了Pt、Au、Cu和Ag金属膜内电极层,研究此电极层对Na2O-PbO-Nb2O5-SiO2玻璃陶瓷电容器电性能的影响.与单层浆料的电极结构相比,引入Pt、Au金属膜可以更有效地改善电性能:等效电容值增加25%,漏电流降低一个数量级.由SEM结果可知:Pt、Au、Cu膜与玻璃陶瓷紧密的界面接触能够抑制银向介质中扩散;然而,采用单层银浆料或引入Ag金属膜的样品界面多孔且银扩散严重.以上分析表明:Pt、Au金属膜电极层能够改善玻璃陶瓷电容器界面微观结构,有效抑制银的扩散,提高整体电性能.     

Dielectric enhancement of BaTiO3/BaSrTiO3/SrTiO3 multilayer thin films deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by sol–gel method

Polycrystalline BaTiO₃/Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃/SrTiO₃ (BT/BST/ST) multilayer thin films with different periodicities have been deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by using a sol–gel method. The multilayer thin films were crack free, compact and crystallized in a perovskite structure. The dielectric constant of the multilayer thin films was significantly increased and the dielectric loss was almost the same as those of uniform BT, ST and BST thin films. The dielectric constant increased with increasing stacking periodicity as the thickness of each individual layer decreased. The multilayer thin films showed excellent dielectric properties and can be promisingly used for the dielectric layer of silicon-based embedded capacitors in package substrate.     

Structural, optical and electrical properties of high-k ZrO2 dielectrics on Si prepared by plasma assisted pulsed laser deposition

ZrO₂ films were grown on p-type Si(100) using plasma assisted pulsed laser deposition and the electrical characteristics of the ZrO₂ dielectrics incorporated in metal oxide silicon (MOS) capacitors were studied in combination with their structural and optical properties. The ZrO₂ dielectric layers are of polycrystalline structure with a monoclinic phase and show good interfacial properties without obvious SiO_x interface. The electrical performance of the capacitors exhibits typical MOS-type capacitance-voltage (C-V) and leakage current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics. Thermal annealing of the ZrO₂ dielectrics results in an improvement in C-V and J-V characteristics and a reduction in C-V hysteresis without obvious introduction of leakage paths for the fabricated MOS capacitors. The dielectric constant was calculated to be 15.4 and the leakage current density was measured to be 6.7 × 10^− 6 A/cm² at a gate voltage of + 1.0 V for 900 °C annealed ZrO₂ dielectric layers with an equivalent oxide thickness of 5.2 nm.     

Effects of the integrity of silicon thin films on the electrical characteristics of thin dielectric ONO film

Capacitors with two kinds of lower electrodes were fabricated and their effects evaluated on the electrical characteristics of oxide–nitride–oxide (ONO) film. One of the electrodes was made of amorphous silicon film chemically deposited using a gas mixture of Si2H6–PH3; the other was made of poly-Si film deposited by SiH4 decomposition and doped by As+ ion implantation. The ONO thin dielectric layer was composed of natural oxide, CVD silicon nitride and thermal oxide formed on the silicon nitride. The capacitance, the leakage current, the dielectric breakdown field and the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) were tested to evaluate the electrical properties of the capacitors. The leakage current and the dielectric breakdown voltage showed similar values between the two capacitors, whereas the TDDB under negative bias showed a great difference. This indicates that, with respect to electrical properties, the integrity of the oxide grown on the in situ P-doped amorphous silicon is better than the oxide grown on the As+ ion-implanted poly-Si. What is more, phosphorus in the amorphous silicon did not lead to any problems with junction depth, even after post heat treatment at 950°C. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High performance CaCu3Ti4O12/cyanate ester composites with excellent dielectric properties and thermal resistance

High performance composites based on CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) and cyanate ester (CE) were successfully developed with desirable dielectric properties (high dielectric constant and low dissipation factor), outstanding thermal resistance and decreased curing temperature for embedded capacitors. CCTO was treated by γ-aminopropyl triethoxy silane, coded as CCTO(KH550), to investigate the interfacial effects on properties of composites. The addition of CCTO or CCTO(KH550) can significantly reduce the whole curing temperature of CE, while CCTO exhibits a higher catalytic capability than CCTO(KH550). Compared with cured CE resin, two kinds of composites exhibit greatly improved thermal resistance and real permittivity, meanwhile the dissipation factor is still very low. Because the interfacial polarization leads to the dependence of dielectric properties on the frequency and temperature, the improvement of interfacial adhesion for composites is beneficial to reduce the variation of dielectric properties with temperature and frequency, and thus improve the reliability of dielectric materials in applications.     

Electrical properties of dielectric foil for embedded PCB capacitors

One of the methods of achieving high packaging density of passive elements on the PCB is using the capacitors embedded in multilayer PCB. Test structures consisting of embedded capacitors were fabricated using the FaradFlex? capacitive internal layers. Impedance spectroscopy and equivalent circuit modelling was used to determine their electrical properties such as the capacitance, parasitic resistance and inductance. The use of several stages of accelerated ageing allowed us to test the durability of the structures. The results showed good quality stability of the embedded elements. The spatial distribution of the capacitance of the test structures on the surface of the PCB form was tested. The influence of the process parameters during lamination on the values of embedded capacitors was revealed.     

Influence of coupling agent on microcosmic morphology and dielectric properties of energy-storage nanocomposite

A series of PVDF-based composite materials with 20 % volume concentrations of nano-sized BaTiO₃ fillers were prepared and studied by solutions-casting. The samples were added with different contents of KH550 as coupling agent. The four main dielectric parameters: dielectric constant, dielectric loss tangent, dielectric breakdown strength and resistivity under high electrical field, were tested. And the energy-storage densities of the samples were also calculated. The results showed that the nanocomposites with 1.0 wt% of KH550 exhibited the appropriate dielectric constant, loss tangent, high dielectric breakdown strengths, high resistivity and high energy-storage density, which was 27.74, 0.039, 245 MV/m, 1,625 MΩ m and 7.4 J/cm³, respectively. This implied that such kind of composites could be used as the dielectric layers of pulsed-power capacitors. In order to explain the relationships between the dielectric properties and the microcosmic physical and chemical properties, the samples were also studied by XRD, SEM and FTIR. The results demonstrated that the coupling agent could improve the filler-matrix interfaces and had significant influence on the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites.     

Über den Einfluß der spezifischen Oberfläche dielektrischer Pulversubstanzen auf die elektrischen Eigenschaften siebgedruckter Kondensatoren

On the influence of the specific surface of powdered dielectric substances on the electrical properties of screen-printed capacitors . Experiments are described to determine the influence of the specific surface of powdered dielectric substances on the electrical properties of thick-film capacitors made from this powder. Optimum values may be obtained for surface capacitance and relative dielectric constant under grinding conditions by which a specific powder surface of 4–8 m²/g is achieved. This surface range corresponds to grain size distributions with median grain diameters from approx. 1 to 4 microns. Similar optimum values are found in literature for titanate ceramics of different composition, too. The grinding conditions are stated.     

Electrical tree initiation mechanism of artificial defects filled XLPE

The electrical tree initiation and propagation mechanism in XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) with artificial voids filled with N₂ gas, O₂ gas or moisture was investigated. Treeing phenomena (pits, filamentary channel, voids, bridge, etc.) were observed and dielectric deterioration and breakdown mechanism were discussed. Oxidized region and rough electrode surface acted as the stress concentration point and from which electrical treeing deterioration processes were initiated after a tree inception time and started to propagate three-dimensionally toward the plane electrode. The width of the broken tree channel was 117 μm and the thickness of the tree was 1 to 30 μm. The dielectric breakdown occurred when a tree channel bridged the two electrodes.     

Lead zirconate titanate thin film capacitors on electroless nickel coated copper foils for embedded passive applications

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT, 52/48) thin film capacitors were prepared on electroless Ni coated Cu foil by chemical solution deposition for printed wiring board embedded capacitor applications. Phase development, dielectric properties, and leakage characteristics of capacitors were investigated, in particular as a function of the process temperature. Dielectric properties of the capacitors were dependent on the crystallization temperature, and capacitance densities of more than 350 nF/cm² and loss tangent of less than 0.03 were measured for capacitors crystallized below 600 °C. Lowest leakage current densities (around 2 × 10^− 7 A/cm² at 10 V direct current (DC)) and highest breakdown fields could be obtained for capacitors crystallized at 650 °C.Capacitors with different thickness and a two-layer capacitor model were used in analyzing the interface layer between PZT and the underlying electroless Ni. From the capacitance and leakage measurements, it is suggested that the interface reaction layer has low permittivity (K around 30) and high defect concentration, which has an important effect on the electrical properties of capacitors. This interface is from the reaction of the electroless nickel layer with the adjacent PZT, and may specifically be moderated by the nickel phosphide (Ni-P) phase, transformed from amorphous Ni during the annealing step.The results have significant implications for embedded capacitors in printed wiring boards. They demonstrate that the process can be tuned to produce either voltage independent capacitors with low leakage and high breakdown fields (above 30 V DC), or the more usual hysteretic, switching, ferroelectric capacitors with higher capacitance densities.     

Synthesis of copper-ferrous (CuFe) nanowires via electrochemical method and its investigations as a fluid sensor

The special behaviour of nanowires with respect to electrical conductivity makes them suitable for sensing application. In this paper, we present a copper-ferrous (CuFe) nanowires based sensor for detection of chemicals. CuFe nanowires were synthesized by template-assisted electrochemical method. By optimizing the deposition parameters, continuous nanowires on a copper substrate were synthesized. The morphological and structural studies of the synthesized CuFe nanowires were carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Substrates containing CuFe nanowires were moulded to form a capacitor. Different chemicals were used as dielectric in the capacitor which showed that the capacitance was a nonlinear function of the dielectric constant of fluid unlike the linear relation shown by conventional capacitors. This unique property of the nanowires based capacitors may be utilized for developing fluid sensors with improved sensitivity.     

Di-block copolymer surfactant study to optimize filler dispersion in high dielectric constant polymer-ceramic composite

Embedded capacitor technology can improve electrical performance and reduce assembly cost compared with traditional discrete capacitor technology. Polymer-ceramic composites have been of great interest as embedded capacitor material because they combine the processability of polymers with the desired electrical properties of ceramics. Dispersion of ceramic particles is a critical factor to affect the effective dielectric constant of polymer-ceramic composite. Di-block copolymer surfactants have been used to prevent agglomeration of the ceramic particles. It was found that di-block copolymer surfactant could improve the ceramic dispersion better than monomer surfactant. Using di-block copolymer surfactant, higher dielectric constant was achieved at lower ceramic loading level. This high dielectric constant polymer-ceramic composite material has much better mechanical properties and can be used for the integral capacitors in the SOP (system on a package) substrate.     

Current conduction mechanisms in HfO2 and SrHfON thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors incorporating HfO₂ and SrHfON gate dielectrics were fabricated by magnetron sputtering. The interface quality, thermal stability, and electrical properties of the MOS capacitors have been investigated. Compared to HfO₂ dielectric film, SrHfON dielectric film has thin interface layer with Si substrate, good thermal stability, and low leakage current densities. The dominant current conduction mechanisms (CCMs) of HfO₂ film are Schottky emission or Poole–Frenkel emission at low and high electric fields. The main CCMs of SrHfON film are Schottky emission or Poole–Frenkel emission at low electric field, whereas, the CCMs are replaced by space charge limited current at high electric field.     

Investigation of charge trapping and breakdown characteristics of sputtered-Y2O3 on n-GaAs substrates

Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated by depositing yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) using radio frequency sputtering system on top of n-GaAs substrates have been investigated. To study the interface properties, charge trapping behavior and breakdown characteristics of Y₂O₃ gate dielectric, the MOS capacitors were subjected to constant current stress, high pulse voltage stress and high constant voltage stress. The average value of the cross section of generated traps during electrical stress has been determined from our experimental data. Further the trap charge density, its distribution and location have been investigated by measurements on application and subsequent withdrawal of high pulse voltage stress. Additionally, stress induced leakage current density and time dependent dielectric breakdown characteristics have been obtained and time-to-breakdown exceeding 840 s is observed for Y₂O₃ gate dielectrics directly deposited on n-GaAs. Our experimental results have been analyzed with simple analytical formulae available in the literature.     

Use of anodic tantalum pentoxide for high-density capacitor fabrication

In this work we report on very thin (10 to 100 nm) tantalum oxide fabricated by anodic oxidation of tantalum nitride and tantalum silicide to be used as the dielectric of high density MIM and MIS capacitors. These films exhibit greatly improved leakage currents, breakdown voltage and very low defect density, thus allowing the fabrication of large area capacitors. Several counter and bottom electrodes have been used and compared. The effects of the different processing conditions (top-electrode metals, annealing conditions, bottom electrode stoichiometry) on the capacitor performances are extensively discussed throughout this work. The nitrogen content of tantalum nitride films seems to have an important influence on the insulator quality. Leakage currents in the insulator have been carefully studied in order to determine the nature and physical origin of the dominant conduction mechanisms in the insulator. The electrical behaviour of the resulting high-density MIM capacitors has been extensively characterized. Finally, we describe a new method to fabricate MIS diodes with anodic tantalum oxide as insulator.     

Mechanistic interaction study of thin oxide dielectric with conducting organic electrode

This paper aims at understanding the interaction of intrinsic conducting polymer, PEDT, with ALD-deposited Al₂O₃ and thermally oxidized Ta₂O₅ dielectrics, and the underlying mechanisms for increase in leakage currents in PEDT-based capacitors. Conducting polymers offer several advantages as electrodes for high surface area capacitors because of their lower resistance, self-healing and enhanced conformality. However, capacitors with in situ polymerized PEDT show poor electrical properties that are attributed to the interfacial interaction between the organic electrode and the oxide dielectric. This study focuses on characterizing these interactions. A combination of compositional, structural and electrical characterization techniques was applied to polymer-solid-state-capacitor to understand the interfacial chemical behavior and dielectric property deterioration of alumina and tantalum-oxide films. XPS and impedance studies were employed to understand the stiochiometric and compositional changes that occur in the dielectric film on interaction with in situ deposited PEDT. Based on the observations from several complimentary techniques, it is concluded that tantalum-pentoxide has more resistance towards chemical interaction with in situ polymerized PEDT. The thermally oxidized Ta₂O₅-PEDT system showed leakage current of 280 nA μF⁻¹ at 3 V with a breakdown voltage of 30 V. On the other hand, Al₂O₃-PEDT capacitor showed leakage current of 50 μA μF⁻¹ and a breakdown voltage of 40 V. The study reports direct evidence for the mechanism of resistivity drop in alumina dielectric with in situ polymerized PEDT electrode.