New oxide quality characterization for charge leakage applications using the floating-gate technique

We report on the validation of a new characterization method dedicated to the tunnel oxide of electrically erasable programmable read-only memories. The present approach combines a dedicated test structure with sequential floating-gate measurements, allowing the screening of defective oxides in terms of charge leakage. We show that this floating-gate technique returns reliable information about retention capability of the thin tunnel oxide (7.5 nm) using a fast and non-destructive statistical test. Finally, quantitative information about tunnel oxide quality obtained with this new technique matches data obtained with charge-to-breakdown measurements.