Precursor ion damage and angular dependence of single event gate rupture in thin oxides

No correlation was observed between single-event gate rupture (SEGR) and precursor damage by heavy-ion irradiation for 7-nm thermal and nitrided oxides. Precursor ion damage at biases below SEGR threshold for fluence variations over three orders of magnitude had no significant effect on SEGR thresholds. These data support a true single ion model for SEGR. A physical model based on the concept of a conducting pipe is developed that explains the empirical equation for the linear dependence of inverse critical field to rupture with LET. This model also explains the dependence of critical voltage on angle of incidence. As the oxide thickness approaches the diameter of the conducting pipe, the angular dependence of the critical voltage disappears. A model fit to the data suggests a central core diameter of 6 and 8 nm for conducting pipes induced in MOS oxides by Br and Au ions, respectively. The buildup of precursor ion damage in the oxides depends on ion species and bias during irradiation, but is not consistent with the accumulation of total ionizing dose damage. Some 5-nm oxides exhibited the characteristic high leakage current of SEGR; however, most 5-nm devices showed only soft breakdown during heavy ion exposure with electric fields up to 12 MV/cm.