Evaluation of modern gate oxide technologies to process charging

A CV/IV walk-out measurement technique that can be used to systematically determine the causes of various gate oxide yield and reliability problems is presented. By simultaneously measuring the effects trapped charge has on the (1) positive IV, (2) negative IV, and (3) CV as a function of charge injected through the oxide, it is possible to determine whether a particular oxide problem is a point defect or uniformly distributed, is a positive or negative trapping center, and has a centroid near the poly or substrate. This measurement technique can also be used to quantify the sensitivity a given gate oxide technology has to process charging. Three types of gate oxide technologies that are commonly used in VLSI manufacturing are evaluated using this technique. The results are compared with those taken by traditional techniques such as JT distributions and antenna structures.<>