Microroughness at the Si/SiO2 Interface from Pre-Oxidation Annealing, Measured Using Quantum Oscillations in Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling Currents

1992 ◽  
Vol 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Poler ◽  
K. K. McKay ◽  
E. A. Irene
Keyword(s):  
Gate Dielectrics ◽  
Interface Roughness ◽  
Quantum Oscillation ◽  
Interfacial Region ◽  
Mos Capacitors ◽  
Quantum Oscillations ◽  
High Temperature Anneal ◽  
Afm Imaging ◽  
Tunneling Currents ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

ABSTRACTAs design rules shrink to conform with ULSI device dimensions, gate dielectrics for MOSFET structures are required to be scaled to even thinner proportions. Upon scaling the gate oxides below ∼60Å some properties of the device, such as interface roughness, that are negligible for thicker films become critical and must be evaluated. Microroughness at the interface of ultrathin MOS capacitors has been shown to degrade these devices.We are studying the interfacial region of ∼50Å SiO2 on Si using the quantum oscillations in Fowler-Nordheim tunneling currents. The oscillations are sensitive to the electron potential and abruptness of the film and its interfaces. In particular, inelastic scattering and/or thickness inhomogeneities in the film will reduce the amplitude of the oscillations. We are using the amplitude of the oscillations to examine the degree of microroughness at the interface that results from a pre-oxidation high temperature anneal in an inert ambient containing various amounts of H2O. Preliminary AFM imaging has shown correlations supporting our microroughness interpretation of the quantum oscillation amplitudes.

Pump-Probe Charge Integrating Investigation of Trap Emission Kinetics in Ultrathin Mos Capacitors

1992 ◽  
Vol 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Poler ◽  
E. A. Irene
Keyword(s):  
Gate Dielectrics ◽  
Emission Cross Section ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Interfacial Region ◽  
Mos Capacitors ◽  
Mos Capacitor ◽  
Pump Probe ◽  
Time Regime ◽  
Short Time

ABSTRACTAs design rules shrink to conform with ULSI device dimensions, gate dielectrics for MOSFET structures are required to be scaled to even thinner proportions. Upon scaling the gate oxides below ∼60Å the interfacial region becomes a significant proportion of the total film. Thus interface properties are weighted more heavily in determining device performance and reliability.We have developed a Pump-Probe charge integrating measurement technique for studying the emission kinetics of traps in the M/SiO2/Si system. Essentially, a MOS capacitor is pumped by exposure to a charging pulse. The emission of the charge at short time scales (<10ms), can be measured using a delayed application of a probe pulse which determines the remainder of the filled traps as a function of delay time. For a lightly doped p-Si (lll) substrate, we observe an uncommon behavior of the emission kinetics in the initial time regime (< 100ms). A possible explanation for this phenomenon is the perturbation of the emission cross-section of the probed traps due to the presence of another state in communication with the trap site.

The Effects of Interfacial Suboxide Transition Regions on Direct Tunneling in Oxide and Stacked Oxide-Nitride Gate Dielectrics

1999 ◽  
Vol 567 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yang ◽  
H Niimi ◽  
Y. Wu ◽  
G. Lucovsky
Keyword(s):  
Barrier Layer ◽  
Gate Dielectrics ◽  
Layer Model ◽  
Equivalent Thickness ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Direct Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Currents ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

ABSTRACTMesarjian et al. were the first to recognize the effects of suboxide interfacial transition regions at Si-SiO2 interfaces on tunneling oscillations in the Fowler-Nordheim regime. This paper extends these ideas to the direct tunneling regime and focuses on differences in interfacial transition regions between Si-SO2 interfaces with, and without monolayer level interface nitridation. Tunneling currents in both the direct and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling regimes are reduced by monolayer level interface nitridation for PMOS and NMOS devices with the same oxide-equivalent thickness. This paper develops a modified barrier layer model based on analysis of XPS results that accounts for these reductions in current in the direct tunneling regime.

Pre-Oxidation Anneal Kinetics: Interface Degradation of Thin SIO2 Films on Silicon

1992 ◽  
Vol 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Poler ◽  
E.A. Irene
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Dielectric Breakdown ◽  
Electrical Measurements ◽  
Sio2 Films ◽  
Direct Tunneling ◽  
High Temperature Anneal ◽  
Tunneling Currents ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

ABSTRACTThe high temperature anneal of hydrogen terminated silicon has been shown to etch and roughen its surface. We attempt to describe the degree of this roughness and the time scale on which it occurs using several electrical measurements: excess direct tunneling currents, dielectric breakdown and the oscillations in the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling currents. From these results we draw conclusions on the time and water content dependence of pre-oxidation annealing on the microroughness of the Si/SiO2 interface.

The Effect of Roughness Features on Mos Surface Electric Field and Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling Behavior

1997 ◽  
Vol 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng-Chih Lin ◽  
Edwin C. Kan ◽  
Toshiaki Yamanaka ◽  
Simon J. Fang ◽  
Kwame N. Eason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tunneling Current ◽  
Gate Oxide ◽  
Oxide Thickness ◽  
Interface Roughness ◽  
Normal Electric Field ◽  
Surface Electric Field ◽  
Tunneling Behavior ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

ABSTRACTFor future CMOS GSI technology, Si/SiO2 interface micro-roughness becomes a non-negligible problem. Interface roughness causes fluctuations of the surface normal electric field, which, in turn, change the gate oxide Fowler-Nordheim tunneling behavior. In this research, we used a simple two-spheres model and a three-dimensional Laplace solver to simulate the electric field and the tunneling current in the oxide region. Our results show that both quantities are strong functions of roughness spatial wavelength, associated amplitude, and oxide thickness. We found that RMS roughness itself cannot fully characterize surface roughness and that roughness has a larger effect for thicker oxide in terms of surface electric field and tunneling behavior.

Measurement of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling currents in MOS structures under charge trapping conditions

1985 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 717-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Nissan-Cohen ◽  
J. Shappir ◽  
D. Frohman-Bentchkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Charge Trapping ◽  
Tunneling Currents ◽  
Mos Structures ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

Nanoscale metal transistor control of Fowler–Nordheim tunneling currents through 16 nm insulating channel

1999 ◽  
Vol 85 (9) ◽  
pp. 6912-6916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kouji Fujimaru ◽  
Ryouta Sasajima ◽  
Hideki Matsumura
Keyword(s):  
Tunneling Currents ◽  
Nordheim Tunneling

Quantum oscillations in the high- T c cuprates

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1941) ◽  
pp. 1687-1711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suchitra E. Sebastian ◽  
Neil Harrison ◽  
Gilbert G. Lonzarich
Keyword(s):  
Fermi Surface ◽  
Cuprate Superconductors ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Quantum Oscillation ◽  
Electronic Excitations ◽  
Close Correspondence ◽  
Metal Insulator Transition ◽  
Metal Insulator ◽  
Quantum Oscillations ◽  
Underdoped Cuprates

We review recent progress in the study of quantum oscillations as a tool for uniquely probing low-energy electronic excitations in high- T c cuprate superconductors. Quantum oscillations in the underdoped cuprates reveal that a close correspondence with Landau Fermi-liquid behaviour persists in the accessed regions of the phase diagram, where small pockets are observed. Quantum oscillation results are viewed in the context of momentum-resolved probes such as photoemission, and evidence examined from complementary experiments for potential explanations for the transformation from a large Fermi surface into small sections. Indications from quantum oscillation measurements of a low-energy Fermi surface instability at low dopings under the superconducting dome at the metal–insulator transition are reviewed, and potential implications for enhanced superconducting temperatures are discussed.

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