Interface degradation and dielectric breakdown of thin oxides due to homogeneous charge injection

The interface stability of 9- to 20-nm gate oxides is evaluated during homogeneous charge injection. In addition, the question of the extent to which interface degradation is correlated to dielectric breakdown is addressed. The measurements reveal that thinner oxides are more resistant to interface degradation. In addition, significantly reduced charge trapping in thin oxides results in improved threshold voltage stability. For both gate polarities, oxide breakdown exhibits no direct correlation to interface state density