Pr2O3
is one of the most promising hetero-oxides that are the candidates of choice to replace
SiO2 as the gate dielectric
material for sub-0.1 µm
CMOS technology. In order to enable process integration, however, hetero-oxides require
substantial characterization. In particular, the basic interaction mechanisms at the
interface to the silicon substrate are the key issues. A solid knowledge of these
mechanisms is required to address reliability arguments. The challenges in material
science are to understand the chemical bonding of the hetero-oxides and Si on a
microscopic scale. We report on the specific variations in the electronic structure
which are evident in the valence band features around resonant excitation at
the Pr 4d threshold. We also determine the valance band discontinuities at the
Pr2O3/Si(001)
interface and follow the changes in the surface potentials to develop a band scheme, a
prerequisite to understanding the properties of charge transport across that interface.
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