Researchers from SEMATECH's
Front End Processes (FEP) program have developed a comprehensive transistor
noise model capable of extracting defect characteristics from low frequency
noise data in advanced gate stack transistors using both conventional and novel
dielectrics. The proposed model is a key step towards identifying and minimizing
defects to support aggressive device scaling. SEMATECH's results were
presented at the IEEE Integrated Reliability Workshop (IRW) on Thursday, October
22, in Lake Tahoe, CA.
Low frequency noise — random fluctuations in device current — is
a growing concern in the performance of integrated CMOS circuits, particularly
as the industry continues relentless device scaling and new materials are introduced.
The root of the “noise” is electrons jumping from the substrate
up into a defect in the dielectric and back. The conventional model for low
frequency noise, which was acceptable up to recent technology nodes, does not
work well now, as pointed out by NIST researchers earlier this year (ref=IEEE
Spectrum Aug 2009 Vol 46, pg 16) - the model prediction for carrier capture
rates is off by 1000x or more. To address this issue, SEMATECH's FEP researchers
have employed the concept of 'lattice relaxation' around a defect; when the
defect traps a charge (electron), the neighboring nuclei “feel”
its Coulomb potential and shift their position slightly to accommodate this
additional force &ndash that is, they ‘relax' around the defect.
This relaxation requires a finite amount of energy, amounting to a barrier which
slows down the rate of capture.
The use of noise characterization is of particular interest to the reliability
community, where it has become a valuable diagnostic technique in the development
of semiconductor materials and devices. “To optimize noise performance
in various applications, we need to be able to accurately simulate the processes
responsible for noise,” said Gennadi Bersuker, project manager of electrical
characterization and reliability at SEMATECH. “With the proposed model,
the reliability community now has a means of identifying the atomic structure
of the defects, allowing feedback to process and integration groups to facilitate
reduction and elimination of the defects.”
Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Professor of Solid State Electronics
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said that the mechanism of structural relaxation
of the traps in MOSFETs discovered by the SEMATECH group is the key to understanding
and minimizing noise and, hence, is of extreme importance for scaling advanced
device structures. “The SEMATECH work explains several orders of magnitude
difference between older, so-called, tunneling models and the noise measured
in advanced CMOS with ultrathin oxide layers,” said Prof. Shur.
In collaboration with member companies, universities, national labs, and supplier
partners, the core technical teams of SEMATECH's FEP program are consistently
developing innovative techniques for extending high-k dielectrics, metal gates,
high mobility channels, and advanced memory technologies.
About SEMATECH:
For over 20 years, SEMATECH® (www.sematech.org) has set global direction,
enabled flexible collaboration, and bridged strategic R&D to manufacturing.
Today, we continue accelerating the next technology revolution with our nanoelectronics
and emerging technology partners.