EFFECTS OF PLASMA-INDUCED CHARGES ON THIN OXIDE OF CMOS TECHNOLOGIES

Gate oxide degradation by damage due to process induced charging, also called antenna effects, has been identified as a major problem impact ing the gate integrity of integrated circuits. This paper presents a b rief review of this problem. After a general description of antenna ef fects, we present how to characterize a CMOS technology and how to det ermine the most critical steps of the process. The test mask and test method used and also the other methods of the literature are presented . We show that we can evidence both t(0) effects on the main parameter s like threshold voltage, and also second order effects like shifts af ter Fowler-Nordheim injection. These second order effects are very sen sitive to the severity of the process, and can also impact the reliabi lity of the circuits. Then we briefly present how charging can affect reliability in real case circuits. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.