Device performance degradation due to hot carriers having energies below the Si-SiO2 energy barrier

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Abstract
Device performance degradation due to hot carriers having energies that are below the Si‐SiO2 energy barrier are studied. For a test device with Leff =0.3 μm and Tox =5 nm, transconductance degradation and/or threshold voltage, Vth, shifts are detected at a drain voltage as low as 2.5 V, which is lower than the Si‐SiO2 energy barrier (3.2 eV) for electrons. It is also found that the time τ that it takes for Vth to shift, e.g., 10 mV, can be expressed as τ∝exp(1/VD), in the VD range of greater than 2.5 V. Thus, hot‐carrier‐related device degradation may be one of the most significant problems in submicron metal‐oxide‐semiconductor‐field‐effect transistors, even after power supply voltage reduction.

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