Uniform durable thin dielectrics prepared by rapid thermalprocessing in an N(2)O ambient

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 40; no. 9; pp. 1706 - 1708
• Main Authors: Bienek, R, Nenyei, Z
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-09-1993
• ISSN: 0018-9383
• DOI: 10.1109/16.231579

Thin dielectrics grown on silicon wafers by rapid thermal processing in an N(2)O ambient at temperatures of 1100 deg C, 1150 deg C, and 1200 deg C are discussed. The resulting films, in conjunction with an O(2) ambient control were characterized by thickness measurements and electrical performance. Dielectrics formed in N(2)O in this temperature range were all superior to that prepared in an O(2) ambient in terms of interface state generation and flatband voltage shift after constant current stressing. Although all N(2)O prepared samples exhibited similar cross wafer electrical uniformity, higher growth temperatures favored thickness uniformity. The electrical behavior of the N(2)O wafers was not strongly dependent on growth temperature; however, a 60-s 1100 deg C post-oxynitridation N(2) anneal was found to significantly reduce subsequent electrical performance. It is also demonstrated that under optimum process conditions, high-quality uniform dielectrics can be formed by RTP in N(2)O