Stress induced leakage current at low field in ultra thin oxides

Stress induced leakage current (SILC) can be regarded as a major oxide reli ability concern, especially for non-volatile memory application. In this wo rk, we investigate the SILC at low field in ultra-thin oxides with thicknes s down to 1.2nm. The SILC generation kinetics after constant voltage stress is shown to be related to that of interface or near interface oxide traps. Moreover, the field acceleration of the SILC generation is found to follow approximately a 1/E model, supporting the anode hole injection process as- a probable oxide trap creation mechanism. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.