For future generations of non-volatile memory applications, the replacement of the interpoly dielectric by a suitable high-k material is required. Rare-earth aluminates are potential candidates because they are predicted to combine a high dielectric permittivity with a large band gap. We demonstrate the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Gd x Al 2-x O 3 layers using Gd(
GdxHf1−xnormalOy
thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using tris(isopropyl-cyclopentadienyl) gadolinium
[Gd(normalPirCp)3]
and
HfCl4
in combination with
normalH2O
as an oxidizer. Growth curves showed a nearly ideal ALD behavior. The growth per individual
Gd(normalPirCp)3/normalH2O
or
HfCl4/normalH2O
cycle was 0.55 Å, independent of the
Gd/(Gd+Hf)
composition
x
in the studied range. This indicates that the amount of
HfO2
deposited during a
HfCl4/normalH2O
cycle was essentially identical to the amount of
Gd2normalO3
deposited during a
Gd(normalPirCp)3/normalH2O
cycle, assuming identical atomic densities of the films independent of composition. The crystallization of
GdxHf1−xnormalOy
with
Gd/(Gd+Hf)
contents
x
between 7 and 30% was studied. Films with
x≳10%
crystallized into a cubic/tetragonal
HfO2
-like phase during spike or laser annealing up to
1300°C
, demonstrating that the cubic/tetragonal phase is thermally stable in this temperature range. A maximum dielectric constant of
κ∼36
was found for a
Gd/(Gd+Hf)
concentration of
x∼11%
.
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