INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN PROXIMITY FROM THE Si/SiO2 INTERFACE ON NEGATIVE BIAS TEMPERATURE INSTABILITY

The influence of N proximity from the Si/SiO2 interface on negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) effect has been studied. NBTI lifetime increases by removing the N away from the Si/SiO2 interface. Additionally, thermal activation energy which dictating the amount of NBTI degradation, is also found to be dependent on the proximity of N from the Si/SiO2 interface. The experimental observations in this letter lend support to the mechanisms of N-enhanced NBTI in which lowering of hole trapping reaction energy induced by interfacial N. 14 refs.