| Abstract: An aluminum-scandium (Al—Sc) etch stop that is both CMOS compatible and highly conductive, and a method for forming the same are disclosed. The low volatility of Sc in Cl and strong covalent bond between Al—Sc leads to an increase in resistance to NaCl corrosion and makes it difficult to dry etch in Cl-based chemistries, resulting in an excellent etch stop material, especially when used in conjunction with an overlying aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) piezoelectric layer. When deposited at high deposition temperatures or when subsequently annealed at >600° C., the Al—Sc has a low resistivity, enabling corresponding device operation at temperatures up to at least 500° C. While Al3Sc is the preferred composition, Al1-xScx with x between 5 and 100 atomic percent provides many of these same benefits but comes at the cost of increased electrical resistivity and etch resistance with increasing Sc content due to Sc oxidation. |
| Filed: 8/2/2021 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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