Enhanced phonon-energy coupling: Dramatic reduction of leakage current of silicon oxide

Zhi Chen, Jun Guo, Chandan B. Samantaray

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

We study in detail a newly discovered effect, phonon-energy-coupling enhancement (PECE) effect, produced by rapid thermal processing (RTP). It includes two aspects: (1) Strengthening Si-D bonds and Si-O bonds and (2) Change of energy band structure and effective mass due to thermal shock. It is shown that not only Si-D bonds but also Si-O bonds have been strengthened dramatically, leading to enhancement of robustness of the oxide structure and the oxide/Si interface. For thick oxides (>3 nm), the gate leakage current has been reduced by two orders of magnitude and the breakdown voltage has been improved by ∼30% due to phonon-energy coupling. For ultrathin oxides (2.2 nm), the direct tunneling current has been reduced by five orders of magnitude, equivalent to that of HfO2, probably due to the increased effective mass and barrier height.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGate Stack Scaling
Subtitle of host publicationMaterials Selection, Role of Interfaces, and Reliability Implications
Pages73-81
Number of pages9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006
Event2006 MRS Spring Meeting - San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration: Apr 17 2006Apr 21 2006

Publication series

NameMaterials Research Society Symposium Proceedings
Volume917
ISSN (Print)0272-9172

Conference

Conference2006 MRS Spring Meeting
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco, CA
Period4/17/064/21/06

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Materials Science (all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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