The effect of oxygen anneal on the electrical characteristics, especially on the current transport mechanism, of Al 2 O 3 films in the thickness range of 10-30 nm was examined in detail. The analyses were performed at electric fields of B2.5 MV/cm to effectively address the reliability of Al 2 O 3 -based devices operating in the low electric field regime. The general conduction mechanism equations were used to simulate the expected current density (J) values for a given electric field (E) range. The characteristic linear plots of the conduction mechanisms were then used to compare the experimental and simulated data to identify the most probable mechanism occurring in the dielectric. Parameters like barrier height and activation energy were extracted from the fit. It was found that oxygen anneal has profound effects on the electrical properties of Al 2 O 3 films, with annealed films demonstrating a different conduction mechanism than their unannealed counterparts, along with significant improvement in the leakage current and barrier height. This kind of analyses will help optimize the process conditions for Al 2 O 3 deposition and provide an optimal range for device operation, thus improving the reliability of Al 2 O 3 films for applications in CMOS logic and Flash memory.
Over the last decade, dielectric scaling in nonvolatile memories (NVM) and CMOS logic applications has reached a point where better innovations will be required to meet the reliability and performance requirements of future products. For both these applications, high k materials are being explored as possible candidates to replace the traditional SiO 2 and oxide/nitride/oxide-based films used today. While there are several attractive candidates to replace these materials, HfO 2 and Al 2 O 3 are considered as the most promising ones. Although there has been a lot of work on CVD-based Al 2 O 3 , there has not been much reported for PVD-based Al 2 O 3 for NVM applications, especially in the thickness regime of 10-30 nm. This paper discusses the effects of process parameters such a plasma power and annealing conditions on the quality of Al 2 O 3 dielectrics. It was observed that a post deposition anneal in O 2 ambient at 700°C for 15 s is essential to obtain a fully oxidized film with high density. While higher power (1,500 W) results in thicker films with better k values, they also lead to more substrate damage and poorer reliability. Annealing done at temperatures greater than 700°C for 60 s or more results in failure of the film possibly due to diffusion of silicon into Al 2 O 3 and its subsequent reaction.
Background: Early or timely initiation of breastfeeding, specifically within 1 h of birth, refers to the best practice recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO). Timely initiation of breastfeeding has the potential to prevent 22 % of neonatal deaths if all infants were breastfed within an hour after birth [1]. The primary objective of the paper is to estimate the prevalence of breast feeding initiation within first hour of life and the clinical correlates and socio demographic factors. Material and methods: This study was conducted at PSG Institute of Medical Science and Research, Coimbatore in the month of July 2018. Mothers with the children age below four years attending paediatric outpatient department were included in the study. Multivariate logistic analysis was usedto determine the factors associated with timely initiation breastfeeding practice. Results: The prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding within one hour was 56.5%. It was observed that the caesarean delivery, preterm delivery, sick condition of the baby, earlier breast surgery, lack of counselling after delivery and lack of skin to skin contact at birth were negatively associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding within one hour. Conclusion: The findings clearly indicated that nearly half of the mothers did not initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
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