Effects of advanced processes on hot carrier reliability

There are several advanced processes which are being actively studied as candidates for sub-0.25 /spl mu/m technology and beyond. This paper studies the effects on hot carrier reliability from remote plasma nitrided oxide (RPNO), deuterium anneal and pocket implant. It is found that RPNO can improve the hot carrier reliability by making the effective oxide thickness thinner for oxides of the same physical thickness. The deuterium anneal can improve the hot carrier reliability, even with nitride sidewalls if proper annealing is done. While the pocket implant can reduce short channel effects, the hot carrier lifetime is degraded unless optimization is conducted.