Structural characterization and electrical properties of Nd2O3 by sol–gel method

In the current study, Neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) was prepared by sol–gel method and deposited on P-type 〈100〉 silicon wafer. The chemical characterization of samples was done by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectra (EDS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nd–O bond formation was proven by FTIR, also cubic- Nd2O3 (c-Nd2O3) phase was detected by XRD. According to EDS analysis, neodymium concentration was approximately 59.41% while oxygen concentration was calculated as 10.21%. The amount of excess oxygen was 9.45% was originated by cristobalite formation. In addition, electrical characterizations of Nd2O3/p-Si MOS capacitor was performed by capacitance–voltage (C–V), conductance–voltage G/ω–V measurements at different frequencies between 250 kHz and 1 MHz. The maximum value of measured capacitance–voltage (C–V) and conductance–voltage (G/ω–V) was increased with decreasing in the applied voltage frequencies and after series resistance (Rs) correction, the measured C–V and G/ω–V characteristics, G/ω behavior started to decrease with rising the frequencies. According to the observed frequency dispersion, the deposited Nd2O3 on P-type 〈100〉 silicon exhibits stable insulation property for future microelectronic applications.