On the generation and recovery of interface traps in MOSFETs subjected to NBTI, FN, and HCI stress

Abstract

A common framework for interface-trap (NIT) generation involving broken equivSi-H and equivSi-O bonds is developed for negative bias temperature instability (NBTI), Fowler-Nordheim (FN), and hot-carrier injection (HCI) stress. Holes (from inversion layer for pMOSFET NBTI, from channel due to impact ionization, and from gate poly due to anode-hole injection or valence-band hole tunneling for nMOSFET HCI) break equivSi-H bonds, whose time evolution is governed by either one-dimensional (NBTI or FN) or two-dimensional (HCI) reaction-diffusion models. Hot holes break equivSi-O bonds during both FN and HCI stress. Power-law time exponent of NIT during stress and recovery of NIT after stress are governed by relative contribution of broken equivSi-H and equivSi-O bonds (determined by cold- and hot-hole densities) and have important implications for lifetime prediction under NBTI, FN, and HCI stress conditions