Analysis of Damage Curing in a MOSFET with Joule Heat Generated by Forward Junction Current at the Source and Drain

Abstract

This study demonstrates a method for curing the gate dielectric of a MOSFET using Joule heat (JH) generated by forward bias current in the PN-junction in the drain-to-body (D-B) and source-to-body (S[sbnd]B). To accurately quantify the curing effect by the D-B JH and the S[sbnd]B JH, the interface trap density (Nit) of the gate dielectric was laterally profiled using a charge pumping characterization method. The curing method was applied to repair damage in the gate dielectric caused by Fowler-Nordheim (F[sbnd]N) and hot-carrier injection (HCI) stress. When F[sbnd]N stress was applied to the device, there is no difference in curing the damage by the D-B JH and the S[sbnd]B JH. However, when HCI stress, which asymmetrically causes more damage to the drain, was applied, the D-B JH showed better recovery than the S[sbnd]B JH.