A study of interface trap generation by fowler-nordheim and substrate-hot-carrier stresses for 4-nm thick gate oxides

- The generation of interface traps by different stresses to 4-nni thick SiU2 gate oxide is studied. Four different kinds of constant current stresses were applied. The interface- trap density (At) generation due to hot holes under VG < 0 Fowler-Nordheim (FN) stress was characterized using quantum- yield measurement and substrate-hot-hole (SHH) stress. The interface-trap density (.Dit) generated by SHH stress increases as gate-oxide field increases. Substrate-hot-electron (SHE) stress generates much less interface-trap density (.Dit) than SHH stress. It is also observed that N2U-grown gate-oxide has smaller hole- injection probability but larger electron-injection probability than Ü2-grown oxide. N2U-grown gate oxide is shown to have less SHH stress-induced interface traps than Ü2-grown oxide in p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices.