We observe a gamma-irradiation induced change in electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) in TiN/Ti/HfO2/TiN resistive random access memory (RRAM). EDMR measurements exclusively detect electrically active defects which are directly involved in the transport mechanisms within these devices. The EDMR response has an isotropic g-value of 2.001 ± 0.0003. The response increases dramatically with increased gamma-irradiation. We tentatively associate this EDMR response with spin dependent trap assisted tunneling (SDTAT) events at
O2− centers coupled to hafnium ions. Although our study cannot fully identify the role of these defects in electronic transport, the study does unambiguously identify changes in transport defects caused by the ionizing radiation on defects involved in electronic transport in RRAM devices. This work also contributes more broadly to the RRAM field by providing direct, though incomplete, information about atomic scale defects involved in electronic transport in leading RRAM systems.
We report on a novel semiconductor reliability technique that incorporates an electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) spectrometer within a conventional semiconductor wafer probing station. EDMR is an ultrasensitive electron paramagnetic resonance technique with the capability to provide detailed physical and chemical information about reliability limiting defects in semiconductor devices. EDMR measurements have generally required a complex apparatus, not typically found in solid-state electronics laboratories. The union of a semiconductor probing station with EDMR allows powerful analytical measurements to be performed within individual devices at the wafer level. Our novel approach replaces the standard magnetic resonance microwave cavity or resonator with a small non- resonant near field microwave probe. Using this new approach we have demonstrated bipolar amplification effect and spin dependent charge pumping in various SiC based MOSFET structures. Although our studies have been limited to SiC based devices, the approach will be widely applicable to other types of MOSFETs, bipolar junction transistors, and various memory devices. The replacement of the resonance cavity with the very small non- resonant microwave probe greatly simplifies the EDMR detection scheme and allows for the incorporation of this powerful tool with a wafer probing station. We believe this scheme offers great promise for widespread utilization of EDMR in semiconductor reliability laboratories.
We report on a novel electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique that merges electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) with a conventional semiconductor wafer probing station. This union, which we refer to as wafer-level EDMR (WL- EDMR), allows EDMR measurements to be performed on an unaltered, fully processed semiconductor wafer. Our measurements replace the conventional EPR microwave cavity or resonator with a very small non-resonant near-field microwave probe. Bipolar amplification effect, spin dependent charge pumping, and spatially resolved EDMR are demonstrated on various planar 4H-silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (4H-SiC MOSFET) structures. 4H-SiC is a wide bandgap semiconductor and the leading polytype for high-temperature and high-power MOSFET applications. These measurements are made via both “rapid scan” frequency-swept EDMR and “slow scan” frequency swept EDMR. The elimination of the resonance cavity and incorporation with a wafer probing station greatly simplifies the EDMR detection scheme and offers promise for widespread EDMR adoption in semiconductor reliability laboratories.
We demonstrate high signal-to-noise electrically detected electron-nuclear double resonance measurements on fully processed bipolar junction transistors at room temperature. This work indicates that the unparalleled analytical power of electron-nuclear double resonance in the identification of paramagnetic point defects can be exploited in the study of defects within fully functional solid-state electronic devices.
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