Ultrathin Gate Dielectric Growth at Reduced Pressure

Abstract

The Growth of ultrathin oxides in N2O ambient has been a subject of extensive research for submicron CMOS technology. Oxides grown in N2O tend to have a higher charge-to-breakdown, less charge trapping under constant current stress, and less interface state generation under current stress and radiation than conventional oxides grown in oxygen [1,2]. In addition the penetration of boron through N2O oxides is significantly less than through conventional thermal oxides [3]. The improved characteristics of N2O are due to an interfacial pileup of nitrogen atoms [1-3]. Thus the growth of thermal oxides in N2O provides a method for obtaining many of the more favorable aspects of reoxidized-nitrided silicon dioxides, with a much simpler process.