Title :
Improvement of charge trapping characteristics of N/sub 2/O-annealed and reoxidized N/sub 2/O-annealed thin oxides
Author :
Liu, Zhihong ; Wann, Hsing-jen ; Ko, Ping K. ; Hu, Chenming ; Cheng, Yiu Chung
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., California Univ., Berkeley, CA, USA
Abstract :
It is found that increasing N/sub 2/O annealing temperature and time monotonically reduces electron trapping in the resulting oxides. The improvement increases with oxide thickness. Reoxidation does not enhance but reduces the improvement. The behavior is different from and simpler to understand than that after NH/sub 3/ annealing, apparently due to the absence of deleterious hydrogen. Hole trapping and interface trap generation are also suppressed by N/sub 2/O annealing, though an optimum anneal condition may exist. Charge to breakdown exhibits modest improvement consistent with reduced electron trapping.<>
Keywords :
annealing; dielectric thin films; electron energy states of amorphous solids; electron traps; hole traps; oxidation; silicon compounds; N/sub 2/O ambient annealing; Si/sub x/N/sub y/O/sub z/ thin oxides; annealing temperature; annealing time; charge trapping characteristics; electron trapping; electron trapping suppression; hole trapping suppression; interface trap generation suppression; oxide thickness; Annealing; Dielectric substrates; Electric breakdown; Electron traps; Hydrogen; Oxidation; Silicon; Stability; Stress; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
