Quasi-breakdowns in ultrathin dielectrics

Byoung Woon Min; Dim-Lee Kwong

doi:10.1117/12.284579

27 August 1997 Quasi-breakdowns in ultrathin dielectrics

Byoung Woon Min, Dim-Lee Kwong

Proceedings Volume 3212, Microelectronic Device Technology; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.284579
Event: Microelectronic Manufacturing, 1997, Austin, TX, United States

Abstract

In this paper, the quasi-breakdown is demonstrated to be a dominant failure mechanism in ultra-thin dielectrics with thicknesses less than 50 angstrom and should be considered as a reliability issue to avoid overestimation of dielectric breakdown. Under high stress current density (-Vg), the charge to catastrophic breakdown decreases with decreasing the oxide thickness because of dielectric breakdown in the structural transition layer existing SiO₂/Si interface. But the Q_bd rapidly increases again with decreasing the oxide thickness below 50 angstroms under low stress current density due to the difficulty in building up electric field to cause catastrophic breakdown through the localized conduction path induced by the quasi-breakdown prior to catastrophic breakdown. The quasi-breakdown was suppressed in NO-annealed oxide.

Citation Download Citation

Byoung Woon Min and Dim-Lee Kwong "Quasi-breakdowns in ultrathin dielectrics", Proc. SPIE 3212, Microelectronic Device Technology, (27 August 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.284579

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