We have statistically analyzed 28,800 cells of arrayed stacked gate transistors, and, for the first time, we discuss the effectiveness of NO and N20 nitridation in suppressing microscopic SILC (mSILC). We have found that NO nitridation is more effective in suppressing the mSILC than N20 nitridation and is very promising for the reduction of bit failures.
IntroductionThe continuous shrinkage of device dimensions below a quarter-micron requires highly reliable ultra-thin dielectric films. In this thickness range, not only breakdown but also wearout of dielectric films is one of the key technological issues. Thin nitrided oxide is a major candidate for such films due to its excellent immunity to electrical stress, such as suppression of stress-induced leakage current (SILC) [l]. In most studies, MOS capacitors of sizes on the order of square millimeters have tended to be used to observe the characteristics of the SILC, although the suppression of bit failures occurring at localized spots is becoming increasingly significant. We should focus on the effect of nitridation on suppressing mSILC observed in sizes on the order of square microns [2] to meet forthcoming scaling-down. In this paper, we show that nitridation using NO and N20 gases is effective in suppressing the mSILC by statistically analyzing 28,800 cells of arrayed stacked gate transistors [3], and discuss the dependence of the mSILC on the concentration and the chemical state of nitrogen incorporated at Sddielectric interfaces.
Introduction Reflectance spectra of thermally grown silicon oxide films with thickness in the range from 6 to 17 nm were neasured in the vacuun ultraviolet, and the modified Kraners-Kronig analysis considering multiple reflection in the films were applied to these spe c Lra. Consequentlyr the optical properties of as grown silicon oxide filns with thickness in the range from 6 to 18 nm were deterni-ned1). Followlng results were obtained from these analyses: Firstly, optical absorption below the optical absorption edge of fused quartz becomes appreciable with decreasing oxide fi.1m thickness. Secondly, optical absorption arising from Si-Si bond in the oxide film was detected. The anount of Si-Si bond in the oxide film was evaluated to be in the order of 0.3 nonolayer. However, in the eval-uatj-on of amount of Si-Si bond the optical absorption tailwas not considered adequately.
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