• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.87-97
• /
• 2013

Negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) and positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) are critical circuit reliability issues in highly scaled CMOS technologies. In this paper, we analyze the impacts of NBTI and PBTI on SRAM $V_{MIN}$, and present a design solution for mitigating the impact of NBTI and PBTI on SRAM $V_{MIN}$. Two different types of SRAM $V_{MIN}$ (SNM-limited $V_{MIN}$ and time-limited $V_{MIN}$) are explained. Simulation results show that SNM-limited $V_{MIN}$ is more sensitive to NBTI while time-limited $V_{MIN}$ is more prone to suffer from PBTI effect. The proposed NBTI/PBTI-aware control of wordline pulse width and woldline voltage improves cell stability, and mitigates the $V_{MIN}$ degradation induced by NBTI/PBTI.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.180-186
• /
• 2023

Positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) degradation of n⁺ and p⁺ poly-Si gate high-voltage(HV) SiO2 dielectric nMOSFETs was investigated. Unlike the expectation that degradation of n⁺/nMOSFET will be greater than p⁺/nMOSFET owing to the oxide electric field caused by the gate material difference, the magnitude of the PBTI degradation was greater for the p⁺/nMOSFET than for the n⁺/nMOSFET. To analyze the cause, the interface state and oxide charge were extracted for each case, respectively. Also, the carrier injection and trapping mechanism were analyzed using the carrier separation method. As a result, it has been verified that hole injection and trapping by the p⁺ poly-Si gate accelerates the degradation of p⁺/nMOSFET. The carrier injection and trapping processes of the n⁺ and p⁺ poly-Si gate high-voltage nMOSFETs in PBTI are detailed in this paper.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.166-173
• /
• 2009

The reliability of hafnium oxide gate dielectrics incorporating lanthanum (La) is investigated. nMOSFETs with metal/La-doped high-k dielectric stack show lower $V_{th}$ and $I_{gate}$, which is attributed to the dipole formation at the high-k/$SiO_2$ interface. The reliability results well correlate with the dipole model. Due to lower trapping efficiency, the La-doping of the high-k gate stacks can provide better PBTI immunity, as well as lower charge trapping compared to the control HfSiO stacks. While the devices with La show better immunity to positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) under normal operating conditions, the threshold voltage shift (${\Delta}V_{th}$) at high field PBTI is significant. The results of a transconductance shift (${\Delta}G_m$) that traps are easily generated during high field stress because the La weakens atomic bonding in the interface layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.122-122
• /
• 2008

Recently, Metal/Alumina/Silicon-Nitride/Silicon-Oxide/Silicon (MANOS) structures are one of the most attractive candidates to realize vertical scaling of high-density NAND flash memory [1]. However, as ANO layers are miniaturized, negative and positive bias temperature instability (NBTI/PBTI), such as the flat band voltage shift, ${\Delta}V_{FB}$, the interfacial trap density increase, ${\Delta}D_{it}$, the gate leakage current, ${\Delta}I_G$. and the retention characteristics, in MONOS capacitors, becomes an important issue in terms of reliability. It is well known that tunnel oxide degradation is a result of the oxide and interfacial traps generation during FN (Fowler-Nordheim) stress [2]. Because the bias temperature stress causes an increase of both interfacial-traps and fixed oxide charge could be a factor, witch can degrade device reliability during the program and erase operation. However, few studies on NBTI/PBTI have been conducted on improving the reliability of MONOS devices. In this work, we investigate the effect of post-annealing gas on bias temperature instability (BTI), such as the flat band voltage shift, ${\Delta}V_{FB}$, the interfacial trap density shift, ${\Delta}I_G$ retention characteristics, and the gate leakage current characteristics of MANOS capacitors. MANOS samples annealed at $950^{\circ}C$ for 30 s by a rapid thermal process were treated via additional annealing in a furnace, using annealing gases $N_2$ and $N_2-H_2$ (2 % hydrogen and 98 % nitrogen mixture gases) at $450^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. MANOS samples annealed in $N_2-H_2$ ambient had the lowest flat band voltage shift, ${\Delta}V_{FB}$ = 1.09/0.63 V at the program/erase state, and the good retention characteristics, 123/84 mV/decade at the program/erase state more than the sample annealed at $N_2$ ambient.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.182-187
• /
• 2011

In this paper, PBTI characteristics of NMOSFETs with La incorporated HfSiON and HfON are compared in detail. The charge trapping model shows that threshold voltage shift (${\Delta}V_{\mathrm{T}}$) of NMOSFETs with HfLaON is greater than that of HfLaSiON. PBTI lifetime of HfLaSiON is also greater than that of HfLaON by about 2~3 orders of magnitude. Therefore, high charge trapping rate of HfLaON can be explained by higher trap density than HfLaSiON. The different de-trapping behavior under recovery stress can be explained by the stable energy for U-trap model, which is related to trap energy level at zero electric field in high-k dielectric. The trap energy level of two devices at zero electric field, which is extracted using Frenkel-poole emission model, is 1,658 eV for HfLaSiON and 1,730 eV for HfLaON, respectively. Moreover, the optical phonon energy of HfLaON extracted from the thermally activated gate current is greater than that of HfLaSiON.