Hysteresis behaviour in sandwich structure - zirconium oxide/chemical silicon oxide, annealed at temperature of 850 degrees C in oxygen ambient, was studied. Formation of thin ZrSixOy layer due to the high temperature annealing was found. Metal-insulator-semiconcluctor (MIS) capacitors using ZrO2/ZrSixOy/SiOx insulator were studied. High-frequency capacitance-voltage (HF C-V), current-voltage (I-V) and current-time (I-t) measurements were carried out on the Al/ZrO2/ZrSixOy/SiOx/Si capacitors. Two leakage current components were identified - tunneling current component at high electric fields and transient current component at low fields. The transient leakage currents are due to charge trapping phenomena. The measured I-t characteristics are related with charging/discharging and dielectric relaxation phenomena. A counter-clockwise HF C-V hysteresis, larger than 2 V at thickness of the stack structure of about 50 nm was observed. Metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistors (MISFETs) using ZrO2/ZrSixOy/SiOx-gate insulator were studied. P-channel MISFETs with aluminum gate electrode were fabricated on standard n-type silicon substrates. Due to charging/discharging phenomena in the gate dielectric the transistors can be switched between On- and Off-state with the polarity of applied stress voltage. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.