... properties of the stacks,which could reduce the reliability of the MOS devicesdue to the weaker dielectric strength of the grainboundaries. Finally, the influence of the environmentconditions on the ... investigate, at the nanoscale, how the polycrystallization of an Al2O3-based gate stack, after a thermal annealing process, affects the variability of its electrical properties. The impact of an electrical ... place at the weaker regions, that is, the grainboun daries. Therefore, the presence of grain boundarieson Al2O3layers could reduce significantly the reliability of MOS devices due to their...