The Dielectric Reliability of Very Thin SiO2 Films Grown by Rapid Thermal Processing

Abstract
Very thin SiO2 films, 3–10 nm in thickness, have been formed on silicon by rapid thermal processing (RTP), and their dielectric reliability has been investigated in comparison with furnace-grown oxides. The SiO2 films grown by RTP are superior to furnace oxides on both the dielectric breakdown and the Si-SiO2 interface characteristics. On the RTP SiO2 films, quantum oscillation in MOS tunneling is clearly observed at 300 K. The Si-SiO2 interface roughness is estimated from the Fowler-Nordheim plot. These results indicate that the Si-SiO2 structure is ordered within one monolayer.