X-ray absorption spectroscopy of high-k gate dielectric insulating layers for next-generation semiconductor devices as measured by superconducting detectors

Fluorescent-yield X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) taken with a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector has been employed to study the oxygen K-edge structure of Hf–Al oxide gate insulators for next-generation metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. Thermal stability is a critical issue in the MOS fabrication processes. We show that O K-edge XAS indicates that no change in the electronic band structure occurs due to thermal annealing.