Join imec, one of the world's premierresearch centers in nanotechnology, at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, tostudy the reliability of the most advanced high-k dielectrics. Understandingthe degradation of these materials is key to guarantee the reliability of thefuture technology nodes.
Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors arekey components of advanced integrated circuits (IC). They are widely used toperform decoupling, filtering, or RF functions. They also play a central rolein memory applications. These devices are generally built around high-kdielectrics such as HfO2.
When high-k dielectrics are subjected to aconstant stress voltage, conductive paths composed of oxygen vacancies areformed between the electrodes, leading to a low resistive state. Ultimately,this can lead to dielectric breakdown, i.e. the loss of the insulatingproperties.
The study aims to characterize the ruptureof these conductive paths under the influence of the temperature to extract thediffusion constant and activation energy characterizing the diffusion of oxygenvacancies in Al-doped HfO2. These learnings will strengthen thecurrent understanding of high-k dielectrics degradation mechanisms.
The following activities are foreseen:
Type of internship: Master internship
Duration: 4-6 months
Required educational background: Materials Engineering, Physics
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Emmanuel Chery (< E-Mail aus Sicherheitsgründen gelöscht >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-275. Mention this reference code in your application.
Only for self-supporting students.
Applications should include the following information:
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors arekey components of advanced integrated circuits (IC). They are widely used toperform decoupling, filtering, or RF functions. They also play a central rolein memory applications. These devices are generally built around high-kdielectrics such as HfO2.
When high-k dielectrics are subjected to aconstant stress voltage, conductive paths composed of oxygen vacancies areformed between the electrodes, leading to a low resistive state. Ultimately,this can lead to dielectric breakdown, i.e. the loss of the insulatingproperties.
The study aims to characterize the ruptureof these conductive paths under the influence of the temperature to extract thediffusion constant and activation energy characterizing the diffusion of oxygenvacancies in Al-doped HfO2. These learnings will strengthen thecurrent understanding of high-k dielectrics degradation mechanisms.
The following activities are foreseen:
- Al:HfOxfilms will be degraded to a low resistive state by ramping the voltage until agiven compliance current. The rupture of the filament will then be monitored atvarious temperatures.
- Thekinetics of rupture for fresh and pre-stress structures will be compared.
- Severalthicknesses & Al doping concentration will be studied.
- Datapreparation and data analyses will be performed by the student.
- Finally,lifetime models will be developed to estimate the maximum use voltage andtemperature for various mission profiles.
Type of internship: Master internship
Duration: 4-6 months
Required educational background: Materials Engineering, Physics
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Emmanuel Chery (< E-Mail aus Sicherheitsgründen gelöscht >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-275. Mention this reference code in your application.
Only for self-supporting students.
Applications should include the following information:
- resume
- motivation
- current study
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
