**5. Desorption of H2O from sol-gel-derived HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films on Si(001) wafers during firing**

During the firing of hafnia gel films, H2O is not vaporized completely. Even after HfO2 films are crystallized on the Si(001) surface, Hf-OH bonds and/or H2O may be trapped between nanopores in HfO2 films. Thus, the thermal properties, especially the desorption of H2O from HfO2 films, must be clarified after firing hafnia gel films. The electrical properties of sol-gel-derived HfO2 films should also be characterized, in view of their possible application as gate insulators in next-generation CMOS devices.

Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) is an excellent technique, not only for analyzing adsorbed gases on the surfaces of bulk sol-gel-derived HfO2 films, but also for analyzing the species that evolve from the films.
