TIME-DEPENDENT DIELECTRIC-BREAKDOWN OF THIN SILICON-OXIDE USING DENSECONTACT ELECTRIFICATION

We achieved time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) measurement of a thin silicon oxide microscopically using contact electrification. By increasing the external bias voltage, TDDBs of the oxide layer withou t and with oxide surface roughening were observed sequentially. Charge -to-breakdown in the contact electrification was estimated to be on th e order of 10(-5) approximately 10(-6) C/cm2. This value is higher tha n that of electrified charge density in the absence of external bias v oltage, but is much smaller than the value of approximately 5 x 10(-1) C/cm2 obtained in the conventional TDDB measurement using a metal-oxi de-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. From calculation of the number of in jected charges per atom, TDDB measurement using contact electrificatio n is expected to provide a more quantitative evaluation of charge-to-b reakdown than that using a MOS capacitor.