Thermal Properties of Ultrathin Hafnium Oxide Gate Dielectric Films

Thin-film $hbox{HfO}_{2}$ is a promising gate dielectric material that will influence thermal conduction in modern transistors. This letter reports the temperature dependence of the intrinsic thermal conductivity and interface resistances of 56–200- $hbox{rm{AA}}$-thick $ hbox{HfO}_{2}$ films. A picosecond pump–probe thermoreflectance technique yields room-temperature intrinsic thermal conductivity values between 0.49 and 0.95 $ hbox{W}/(hbox{m}cdot hbox{K})$. The intrinsic thermal conductivity and interface resistance depend strongly on the film-thickness-dependent microstructure.