Thermally-enhanced remote plasma nitrided ultrathin (1.65 nm) gate oxide with excellent performances in reduction of leakage current and boron diffusion

Ultrathin thermally enhanced remote plasma nitrided oxides (TE-RPNO) with e quivalent oxide thickness down to 1.65 nm are fabricated to investigate the ir leakage current reduction and boron diffusion barrier performances. PMOS FET with TE-RPNO, compared to its conventional oxide counter-part, yields a lmost one order magnitude lower gate leakage current, less flatband voltage changes in high boron implantation dose or activation temperature, and sho ws broader process windows in the tradeoff between boron penetration and do pant activation.