Effects of Residual Surface Nitrogen on the Dielectric Breakdown Characteristics of Regrown Oxides

Abstract

Effects of residual surface nitrogen, remaining on the Si surface after stripping off tunneling oxynitrides (N2O-grown or NH3-nitrided oxides), on the quality of the regrown gate oxides are studied. Residual surface nitrogen is observed to reduce the breakdown field and degrade the TDDB characteristics of the subsequently grown gate oxides. Results show that oxide regrowth in N2O, rather than O2, can significantly suppress these undesirable effects.