Identifying Performance-Critical Defects in the High-k/Metal Gate Stacks

We review results on the performance and reliability of the high-k/metal gate stack transistors and discuss physical properties of the defects affecting these characteristics. Analysis of the reported data identifies process-related defects in either the high-k film or interfacial SiO2 layer that are responsible for the observed degradation phenomena, thus opening the way for process improvements to effectively mitigate their effect.