The modern trend of semiconductor device design approaching increasingly smaller scales, alongside the desire for devices to be integrated into complex three-dimensional architectures, has caused an industry-wide need for precise control over film quality and interface properties. The interface between bottom electrode materials and dielectric layers is of particular interest as the thickness of a modern dielectric decreases to the single nanometer range. Ru is a well-studied bottom electrode material for dynamic random-access memory applications, in part due to its low bulk resistivity (7.1 µΩ cm) and high work function (4.7eV). However, conventional O₃ exposure during dielectric atomic layer deposition (ALD) can oxidize Ru and promote the formation of volatile RuO₄, resulting in electrode degradation and increased interface roughness.
Here, we demonstrate improved Ru/metal-oxide interface quality using BRUTE Peroxide, a high-concentration H₂O₂ oxidant, as an alternative to conventional O₃ exposure. Ru films exposed to BRUTE Peroxide are compared with O₃-exposed and as-deposited Ru films to evaluate changes in surface morphology, film structure, and chemical composition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are used to characterize the resulting films and interfaces. The results demonstrate that BRUTE Peroxide provides a promising approach for reducing Ru electrode degradation and enabling higher-quality metal-oxide/Ru interfaces for advanced semiconductor applications.