REDUCED PLASMA-INDUCED CHARGING DAMAGE IN SOI MOSFETS

The impact of plasma-induced charging damage on dielectric breakdown w as examined on both bulk silicon and Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MOSFET s for different conductors for various antenna area ratios. It was fou nd that the Time-Zero Dielectric Breakdown (TZDB) distributions for th e SOI devices were less dependent on antenna ratio and less susceptibl e to antenna charging damage than bulk silicon devices. This behavior is because the current path for charging damage is not available in SO I, since each silicon island is isolated from others. NMOS and PMOS de vices behaved similarly and no difference was observed between SOI dev ices fabricated on SIMOX and bonded silicon substrates. (C) 1997 Elsev ier Science Ltd.