IEEE Electron Device Letters · 1999 · 16 citations · 8 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringMaterials ScienceElectronic MaterialsMicroelectronicsSemiconductor DevicesDevice CharacterizationDevice ModelingDevice ReliabilityOxide SemiconductorsSemiconductor Device MaterialsSemiconductor ReliabilityCritical Current DensityDevice DegradationDielectric BreakdownGate Oxide DegradationGate Oxide ReliabilityGate OxidesTime-dependent Dielectric BreakdownWearout Mechanisms
The degradation of ultrathin oxides is measured and characterized by the dual voltage time dependent dielectric wearout (TDDW) technique. Compared to the conventional time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) technique, a distinct breakdown can be determined at the operating voltage I-t curve. A noisy, soft prebreakdown effect occurs for 1.8-2.7 nm ultrathin oxides at earlier stress times. The different stages of wearout of 1.8-2.7 nm oxides are discussed. The wearout of oxide is defined when the gate current reaches a critical current density at the circuit operating voltage. Devices still function after the soft breakdowns occur, but are not functional after the sharp breakdown. However, application of the E model to project the dielectric lifetime shows that this is more than 20 y for thermal oxides in the ultrathin regime down to 1.8 nm.
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Ultra-thin gate dielectrics: they break down, but do they fail?
B. E. Weir, P. J. Silvėrman, D. Monroe et al. · 2002 · 205 citations