A new substrate and gate current phenomenon in short-channel LDD and minimum overlap devices

A new substrate and gate current phenomenon in short-channel LDD and minimum overlap devices has been observed. This phenomenon is well characterized experimentally by studying devices with different gate oxide thickness, spacer width, and n-region doping. A good physical understanding is obtained by using a two-dimensional device simulation program together with experimental data analysis. This effect can be maximized for use as a potential low-voltage EPROM or avoided for reliability reason by properly designing the n-region doping, gate overlap, and oxide spacer width.