Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor
Recently, certain challenges have persisted in PH sensor applications, especially when employing hafnium oxide (HfO<sub>2</sub>) thin films as sensing layers, where issues related to sensitivity, hysteresis, and long-term stability hamper performance. Microwave annealing (MWA) technology...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/10/1854 |
| _version_ | 1797572964416225280 |
|---|---|
| author | Siwei Cui Hui Yang Yifei Zhang Xing Su Dongping Wu |
| author_facet | Siwei Cui Hui Yang Yifei Zhang Xing Su Dongping Wu |
| author_sort | Siwei Cui |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently, certain challenges have persisted in PH sensor applications, especially when employing hafnium oxide (HfO<sub>2</sub>) thin films as sensing layers, where issues related to sensitivity, hysteresis, and long-term stability hamper performance. Microwave annealing (MWA) technology, as a promising solution for addressing these challenges, has gained significant attraction due to its unique advantages. In this article, the effects of microwave annealing (MWA) treatment on the sensing behaviors of Extended-Gate Field-Effect Transistors (EGFETs) utilizing HfO<sub>2</sub> as a sensing film have been investigated for the first time. Various power levels of MWA treatment (1750 W/2100 W/2450 W) were selected to explore the optimal processing conditions. A thorough physical analysis was conducted to characterize the surface of the MWA-treated HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing thin film using techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our findings reveal that MWA treatment effectively increased the surface sites (<i>Ns</i>) in the HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing thin film, consequently leading to an increase in the pH sensitivity of EGFETs to 59.6 mV/pH, as well as a reduction in hysteresis and an enhancement in long-term stability. These results suggest that MWA offers a straightforward, energy-efficient method to enhance overall HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing film performance in EGFETs, offering insights for HfO<sub>2</sub> applications and broader microelectronics challenges. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:02:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1efacb620e04200b23d48ead13bd339 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:02:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1efacb620e04200b23d48ead13bd3392023-11-19T17:23:48ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2023-09-011410185410.3390/mi14101854Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET SensorSiwei Cui0Hui Yang1Yifei Zhang2Xing Su3Dongping Wu4State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaInstitute of Photonic Chips, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaState Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaState Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaState Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaRecently, certain challenges have persisted in PH sensor applications, especially when employing hafnium oxide (HfO<sub>2</sub>) thin films as sensing layers, where issues related to sensitivity, hysteresis, and long-term stability hamper performance. Microwave annealing (MWA) technology, as a promising solution for addressing these challenges, has gained significant attraction due to its unique advantages. In this article, the effects of microwave annealing (MWA) treatment on the sensing behaviors of Extended-Gate Field-Effect Transistors (EGFETs) utilizing HfO<sub>2</sub> as a sensing film have been investigated for the first time. Various power levels of MWA treatment (1750 W/2100 W/2450 W) were selected to explore the optimal processing conditions. A thorough physical analysis was conducted to characterize the surface of the MWA-treated HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing thin film using techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our findings reveal that MWA treatment effectively increased the surface sites (<i>Ns</i>) in the HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing thin film, consequently leading to an increase in the pH sensitivity of EGFETs to 59.6 mV/pH, as well as a reduction in hysteresis and an enhancement in long-term stability. These results suggest that MWA offers a straightforward, energy-efficient method to enhance overall HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing film performance in EGFETs, offering insights for HfO<sub>2</sub> applications and broader microelectronics challenges.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/10/1854hafnium oxideEGFET pH sensormicrowave annealinghigh sensitivity |
| spellingShingle | Siwei Cui Hui Yang Yifei Zhang Xing Su Dongping Wu Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor Micromachines hafnium oxide EGFET pH sensor microwave annealing high sensitivity |
| title | Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor |
| title_full | Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor |
| title_short | Effect of Microwave Annealing on the Sensing Characteristics of HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Film for High Sensitive pH-EGFET Sensor |
| title_sort | effect of microwave annealing on the sensing characteristics of hfo sub 2 sub thin film for high sensitive ph egfet sensor |
| topic | hafnium oxide EGFET pH sensor microwave annealing high sensitivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/10/1854 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT siweicui effectofmicrowaveannealingonthesensingcharacteristicsofhfosub2subthinfilmforhighsensitivephegfetsensor AT huiyang effectofmicrowaveannealingonthesensingcharacteristicsofhfosub2subthinfilmforhighsensitivephegfetsensor AT yifeizhang effectofmicrowaveannealingonthesensingcharacteristicsofhfosub2subthinfilmforhighsensitivephegfetsensor AT xingsu effectofmicrowaveannealingonthesensingcharacteristicsofhfosub2subthinfilmforhighsensitivephegfetsensor AT dongpingwu effectofmicrowaveannealingonthesensingcharacteristicsofhfosub2subthinfilmforhighsensitivephegfetsensor |