Analyzing the I-V characteristics of thin gate oxides using multiple regression

The I-V characteristics of metal oxide semiconductors has long been a subject of research by many scientists in the field of microelectronics. It is generally accepted that the current conduction in the thin gate oxide is due to the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling emission. However, there is quite a variation in the electrical properties and the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling parameters reported by researchers. This is partially due to the presence of oxide charges which affects the I-V characteristics of the gate oxide and thereby the extracted parameters. The current conduction in the thin gate oxide is complicated; different mechanisms may dominate at different voltage regions. In this study, multiple regression analysis is utilized to determine the basic conduction process and to clarify the discrepancies in the literature.