SECONDARY-ION MASS-SPECTROSCOPY CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEUTERIUM SINTERING PROCESS FOR ENHANCED-LIFETIME COMPLEMENTARY METAL-OXIDE-SEMICONDUCTOR TRANSISTORS

We have investigated the lifetime improvements in complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor transistors with nitride sidewalls by the deuteriu m sintering process. We report the incorporation of deuterium (D) at t he gate SiO2/Si interface (overcoming the diffusion barrier of nitride sidewalls) and mean lifetime improvements by a factor of 15. Sinterin g temperatures ranged from 400 to 480 degrees C, and the D concentrati on inside the furnace varied from 10% tin ultra-high purity nitrogen) to 100% with sintering times between 30 and 150 min. We performed seco ndary ion mass spectrometry to obtain the depth profiles of hydrogen ( H) and D in the sintered transistors. The measured D/H concentration r atio at the SiO2/Si interface correlates directly with the sintering p arameters and the measured transistor lifetime improvements. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society.