Comparative Study of Growth and Properties of Nitrogen-Oxygen-Nitrogen Annealed Gallium Oxide, Cerium Gallium Oxide, and Gallium Cerium Oxide Films

Abstract This study investigated the structural, optical, and electrical properties of a new gallium cerium oxide ternary film over gallium oxide and phase separated cerium gallium oxide films. Annealing in a nitrogen-oxygen-nitrogen ambient formed a stable single-phase structure. This structure suppressed defects that degraded performance, leading to a thinner interfacial layer. The new film exhibited an exceptional electrical performance showing a high dielectric constant, a high breakdown field, and a very low leakage current density, outperforming the other films. These findings suggested that the gallium cerium oxide was a highly promising passivation layer for silicon-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices.