OSCILLATORY BEHAVIOR OF THE TUNNELING CURRENT IN ULTRA-THIN GATE DIELECTRICS - INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

The influence of various physical and technological parameters on the oscillatory behaviour of the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current is inve stigated in ultra thin gate oxides. More specifically, the amplitude a nd the quasi-period of the oscillations are studied for oxide thicknes s varying from 3.8 nm to 7 nm, measurement temperatures from 80 K to 4 50 K and after stress induced electrical degradation. Besides, in orde r to interpret the experimental results, a modeling of the quantum Fow ler-Nordheim oscillations is conducted based on the analytical Airy fu nction approximation. This model is extended to include the temperatur e effect of the F-N component and the scattering induced quantum inter ference attenuation. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.