A mechanism for gate oxide damage in nonuniform plasmas
- 1 January 1993
- conference paper
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Abstract
Plasma damage in the form of early breakdown observed after exposing antenna capacitor structures to an O/sub 2/ plasma in a single wafer resist asher is discussed. Plasma nonuniformity was characterized using a Langmuir probe. Using SPICE, a circuit model for the test structure, and the plasma measurements, the Fowler-Nordheim current through the thin oxide regions at different points on the wafer was calculated and found to agree well with the observed damage. The role of device structure can also be explained with this model. The damage was consistent with a hole induced breakdown mechanism.Keywords
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