We utilize a very sensitive electron spin resonance technique called spin-dependent tunneling to identify defect centers involved in the negative bias temperature instability in plasma-nitrided p-channel metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors. The defect's ²⁹Si hyperfine... (Read more)

The authors combine metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gated diode measurements and very sensitive electrically detected electron spin resonance measurements to detect and identify negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) generated defect centers in fully processed HfO₂ pMOS field effect... (Read more)

We utilize a very sensitive electron paramagnetic resonance technique called spin-dependent recombination to observe and identify defect centers generated by modest negative bias and moderately elevated temperatures in fully processed p-channel metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors.... (Read more)

Interface defects related to negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) in an ultrathin plasma-nitrided SiON/ Si<100> system were characterized by using conductance–frequency measurements, electron-spin resonance measure- ments, and synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was confirmed that NBTI is reduced by using D₂-annealing instead of the usual H₂-annealing. Interfacial Si dangling bonds (P_b1 and P_b0 centers) were detected in a sample subjected to negative-bias temperature stress (NBTS). Although we suggest that NBTS also generates non-Pb defects, it does not seem to generate nitrogen dangling bonds. These results show that NBTI of the plasma-nitrided SiON/Si system is predominantly due to P_b depassivation. Plasma nitridation was also found to increase the P_b1/P_b0 density ratio, modify the P_b1 defect structure, and increase the latent interface trap density by generating Si suboxides at the interface. These changes are likely to be the causes of NBTI in ultrathin plasma-nitrided SiON/Si systems. (Read more)

Interfacial defect structures of NO-nitride oxide on Si(100) were characterized by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. We confirmed that the effective g values of the P_b1 center are affected by interfacial nitridation even at a small nitrogen concentration of 5 at. %, while those of the P_b0 center proved to be unchanged. We observed that the shifted P_b1 line appeared gradually with interfacial nitrogen concentration, which suggests that the nitrogen-induced modified structure substitutes for the original P_b1 structure. Angular variations of the shifted P_b1 lines were also significantly different from those of pure oxide. Based on our analysis, we attributed the g value shift of the P_b1 center to dangling bond tilting, caused by the displacement of nearest-neighbor Si atoms. (Read more)

Interface defects generated by negative-bias temperature stress (NBTS) in an ultrathin plasma- nitrided SiON/Si(100) system were characterized by using D₂ annealing, conductance-frequency measurements, and electron-spin resonance measurements. D₂ annealing was shown to lower... (Read more)

Poly-Si/SiO₂/Si diodes in which oxides were grown thermally under wet oxidation conditions and subsequently treated by a post-oxidation anneal (POA) have been characterized electrically and chemically before and after applying negative-bias-temperature stress (NBTS). It was confirmed that... (Read more)

The electronic properties of the (100) Si/SiO₂ interfacial defect called P_b1 are quite controversial. We present electron spin resonance measurements that demonstrate: (1) that the P_b1 defects have levels in the silicon band gap, (2) that... (Read more)

We have characterized the leakage current paths of ultra-thin gate dielectrics using spin-dependent tunneling (SDT) spectroscopy. A spin-dependent current was detected in metal-oxide-semiconductor diodes with chemical-vapor-deposition SiN gate films with thickness less than 3 nm. We examined the nature of the trap sites in terms of g-value, bias-dependent signal intensity, and magnetic-field orientation dependence. The main feature of the observed spectrum is attributed to a paramagnetic Si site in the SiN films. By using a quantitative model of electron spin-polarization, we were able to estimate the ratio of trap-assisted current to the total leakage current. (Read more)

The electronic properties of the (001) Si/SiO₂ P_b1 defect are the subject of considerable controversy. We present spin-dependent recombination results which indicate most strongly that the P_b1 centers have levels in the Si band gap. Our... (Read more)