CHARGE INJECTION USING GATE-INDUCED-DRAIN-LEAKAGE CURRENT FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF PLASMA EDGE DAMAGE IN CMOS DEVICES

In this paper, we describe the application of gate-induced-drain-leaka ge (GIDL) current for the characterization of gate edge damage which o ccurs during the plasma etch processes. We show from experimental and simulation results that when the channel is biased in accumulation and with the drain-substrate junction reverse biased, charge injection is localized in the gate-drain overlap region. Under this localized char ge injection (LCI) mode of operation, the gate voltage is a function o f edge oxide thickness which in turn can be related to the plasma dama ge received during the poly-etch and subsequent spacer oxide formation . The detailed mechanism of localized charge injection for a study of plasma edge damage is explained along with the experimental demonstrat ion of this technique using submicron MOSFET's.