Influence of Traps and Carriers on Reliability in HfSiON/ $\hbox {SiO}_{2}$ Stacks

The influence of traps and current on the degradation in HfSiON has been studied. Different characteristics of activation energy for TDDB between thick and thin HfSiON, where the Poole Frenkel (PF) and tunnel currents mainly flow, respectively, were observed in the same temperature range. It was indicated that the current could promote the breakdown in HfSiON. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation between pre-existing traps and trap generation in HfSiON/SiO₂ stacks with fluorine incorporation. It was found that the nature of generated traps correspond to that of pre-existing traps. From these results, it was considered that the interaction between traps and carriers causes the degradation in HfSiON.