In this study, the influence of the duration of CF4 plasma treatment of rapid thermal annealing on high-k Er2O3 dielectrics deposited on polycrystalline silicon was investigated using electrical and material analyses. Results demonstrate that Er2O3 dielectric films annealed at 800 degrees C and plasma treated with CF4 for a period of 1 min exhibited excellent dielectric performance, including a higher breakdown electric field, lower charge trapping rate, and a larger charge-to-breakdown than the as-deposited sample. Performance improvements were caused by the incorporation of fluorine atoms and the reduction of dangling bonds and defect traps. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.