Recent progress in understanding the instability and defects in gate dielectrics

This work gives a review of the recent progress in understanding the instability and defects in gate dielectrics. It consists of two parts: electron-trapping for nMOSFETs and positive charging for pMOSFETs. On electron traps, the issues addressed include the relation between conduction mechanism and trap-filling, the capture cross section, location and sensitivity to fabrication techniques. On positive charging, a framework is proposed for the defect and the unique impact of each type of defect on device performance will be shown. Finally, the progress in NBTI measurement will be highlighted.