Surface potential and morphology issues of annealed (HfO ₂) _x(SiO ₂) _1-x gate oxides

The surface potential variations and the surface morphology of annealed (HfO 2) x(SiO 2) 1-x were investigated by noncontact atomic force microscopy (AFM) in ultrahigh vacuum. The study of the films focused on the compositional and structural characteristics of the phase separation alloy films using x-ray mediated techniques and far infrared spectroscopy. Additional modes of data acquisition included contact potential difference (CPD) and differential capacitance. CPD fluctuations were observed to have a local or fine structure component, which for the Hf-rich samples annealed at higher temperatures, correlated with the microstructure.