SENSITIVITY AND LIMITATIONS OF PLASMA CHARGING DAMAGE MEASUREMENTS USING MOS CAPACITORS STRUCTURES

This letter investigates the sensitivity and limitation of capacitor t esting for measuring potential charging damage to gate oxides after a given plasma step. Ramp breakdown measurements are quick and easy to a utomate but lack sensitivity. Accelerated charge-to-breakdown measurem ents offers better sensitivity but with long measurement times. V-t me asurements using the slope dV/dt after initial charging is found to be very sensitive to charge damage. The damage sensitivity of this metho d is high and involves tradeoffs between antenna ratio, testing curren t and testing time. All of which are critical to damage testing. Leaka ge measurements offers short measurement times and high sensitivity bu t are limited by the noise level of the measurement system and by the need to make good probe contact to the gate material.