This paper compares metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) characteristics of TiN metal gate deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on Hf-based high-k dielectrics. Despite many similarities between these two techniques, clear differences were found in device characteristics such as equivalent oxide thickness (EOT), mobility, dopant diffusion, and trap generation. ALD TiN results in a thicker EOT than CVD TiN due to its inherent purging cycle and higher process temperature, but it has a stronger resistance to dopant diffusion. The ALD TiN process also provides better interfacial characteristics, thus better device performance. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.