Comparison of oxide leakage currents induced by ion implantation and high field electric stress

We compare in this work, the electrical properties of gate leakage currents induced through the thin SiO2 oxide layer of metal-oxide-semiconductor str uctures by high energy ion implantation and high field stresses. Even if th e high-frequency capacitance-voltage characteristics are very different aft er both treatments, a comparable increase and similar shapes are found at l ow fields in static gate current-voltage curves, typical of equivalent oxid e damage. Moreover, these stress or implantation induced leakage currents ( SILC or IILC, respectively) are both removed in a similar way by a thermal anneal under forming gas at 430 degrees C. We conclude that similar defects could be induced through the oxide by both processes and generate those ex cess currents by a defect assisted tunneling mechanism. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.