Stress field polarity effect on defects generation in thin silicon dioxide films

This work presents polarity effects during Fowler-Nordheim electric field stress on defect generation in thin silicon dioxide films and at the interface with the silicon. The results show a dissymmetry on interface state kinetic generation and the presence of a critical injected fluence at which the dissymmetry is reversed. For injected fluences lower than this critical charge, the density of interface states created under positive gate bias is higher than that generated under negative bias, and if the injected charge is higher than the critical fluence the dissymmetry is reserved. However, the net oxide positive charge generated under positive bias is always lower than that created under negative bias.