Title :
Charging damage during contact etch triggered by increased borderless nitride conductivity
Author :
Cacciaot, A. ; Scarpa, A. ; Evseev, S. ; Diekema, M.
Author_Institution :
Philips Semicond., Nijmegen, Netherlands
Abstract :
In this paper we evaluate the effect of nitride conduction on charging damage during contact etch. In particular, it is demonstrated that photoconduction is triggered in silicon nitride films when they are exposed to plasma during contact etch. As a consequence of this increased conductivity, they act as antennas, being able to collect charges from unstable plasmas and inject them into the gate oxide, thus causing charging damage.
Keywords :
MOSFET; charge injection; dielectric thin films; photoconductivity; semiconductor device measurement; semiconductor device reliability; silicon compounds; sputter etching; NMOS transistor; PMOS transistor; Si3N4; Si3N4 films; antennas; borderless nitride conductivity; charge collection; charge injection; charging damage; contact etch; current density; gate oxide; gate oxide reliability; photoconduction triggering; plasma exposure; plasma-induced UV photons; unstable plasmas; Antenna measurements; Conductivity; Electrodes; Etching; Plasma applications; Plasma chemistry; Plasma materials processing; Plasma temperature; Plasma transport processes; Silicon;
Conference_Titel :
Plasma- and Process-Induced Damage, 2003 8th International Symposium
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7747-8
DOI :
10.1109/PPID.2003.1199721
