Improved reliability characteristics of submicrometer nMOSFETs with oxynitride gate dielectric prepared by rapid thermal oxidation in N/sub 2/O

Author

Hwang, Hyunsang ; Ting, Wenchi ; Kwong, Dim-Lee ; Lee, Jack

Author_Institution

Microelectron. Res. Center, Texas Univ., Austin, TX, USA

Volume

12

Issue

9

fYear

1991

Firstpage

495

Lastpage

497

Abstract

Submicrometer MOSFETs with ultrathin oxynitride gate dielectric grown in pure N/sub 2/O ambient were studied. The peak mobility of oxynitride is 5% lower than that of control oxide. However, the oxynitride shows 10% less mobility degradation under high normal field. Compared with the control oxide device, the oxynitride device shows significantly less degradation under channel hot-electron stress. The lifetime of the oxynitride device is approximately one order of magnitude longer than that of the control oxide sample. Significant improvement of device reliability is due to the nitrogen incorporation during the oxidation process.<>

Keywords

carrier mobility; dielectric thin films; hot carriers; insulated gate field effect transistors; nitridation; oxidation; reliability; silicon compounds; N/sub 2/O; SiO/sub x/N/sub y/-Si; channel hot-electron stress; high normal field; lifetime; mobility degradation; oxynitride gate dielectric; peak mobility; rapid thermal oxidation; reliability characteristics; submicrometre MOSFET; ultrathin oxynitride; Annealing; Dielectrics; Electron traps; Interface states; Lifting equipment; MOSFET circuits; Nitrogen; Oxidation; Rapid thermal processing; Thermal stresses;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Device Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0741-3106

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/55.116929

Filename

116929