Abstract :
Summary form only given. Hard breakdown, analog and digital soft breakdown, micro breakdown, progressive breakdown, stress-induced leakage current, anomalous stress-induced leakage current, etc. When a constant voltage stress is applied to a thin (<10 nm) oxide layer many degradation phenomena are observed. All of these have in common that they are localized stress-induced leakage paths involving electrical trap centers in the bulk of the oxide, but different names are in use depending on the magnitude of the leakage current or on the application where they are typically measured. Some of these stress-induced leakage paths can be negligible artifacts for one application while they are showstoppers for another application. This tutorial aims at presenting a comprehensive overview of all these dielectric breakdown phenomena, explaining their origin and showing what test methods and structures are needed to observe and study them. Examples are presented on SiO2, SiON and some high-k dielectrics.
Keywords :
dielectric materials; electric breakdown; leakage currents; silicon compounds; SiO2; SiON; analog soft breakdown; destructive failure; dielectric breakdown phenomena; digital soft breakdown; electrical trap centers; hard breakdown; high-k dielectrics; microbreakdown; progressive breakdown; stress-induced leakage current; thin oxide layer; Current measurement; Degradation; Dielectric breakdown; Dielectric measurements; Electric breakdown; Electric variables measurement; Leakage current; Stress measurement; Testing; Voltage;