OFF-STATE GATE CURRENT WITH QUASI-ZERO TEMPERATURE-COEFFICIENT IN N-MOSFETS WITH REOXIDIZED NITRIDED-OXIDE AS GATE DIELECTRIC

Temperature stability of off-state gate current (I-g) for n-MOSFET's w ith reoxidized nitrided oxide (RNO) as gate dielectrics prepared by ra pid thermal processing is investigated. A significant phenomeon that I -g remains almost unchanged at elevated temperature is observed. This could be attributed to the fact that reoxidation recovers part of the nitridation-induced lowering of barrier height for hole emission at th e RNO/Si interface, resulting in the increases of the hot-hole injecti on which nearly compensate the decrease of hole generation at elevated temperature in the avalanche regime. The finding reveals a useful beh avior with temperature-insensitive off-state gate current for RNO devi ces requiring a thermally stable operation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.