Effects of Water on the Aging and Radiation Response of MOS Devices

We report theoretical calculations and new controlled-humidity-and-temperature experiments to elucidate the role of water molecules in the aging of MOS devices. These assist in the interpretation of ionizing radiation-response experiments, namely the increase of interface trap density in aged device...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on nuclear science 2006-12, Vol.53 (6), p.3629-3635
Main Authors: Batyrev, I.G., Rodgers, M.P., Fleetwood, D.M., Schrimpf, R.D., Pantelides, S.T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accumulation
Aging
Annealing
Bonding
Computer simulation
Density
Density measurement
Differential equations
Humidity control
Humidity measurement
Interfaces traps
Ionizing radiation
Irradiation
Mathematical models
modeling
Monte Carlo methods
MOS devices
multiscale
Performance evaluation
radiation response
Studies
Temperature control
water absorption
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Summary:We report theoretical calculations and new controlled-humidity-and-temperature experiments to elucidate the role of water molecules in the aging of MOS devices. These assist in the interpretation of ionizing radiation-response experiments, namely the increase of interface trap density in aged devices as a function of irradiation and subsequent positive-bias annealing. First-principles calculations are used to demonstrate the existence of a low-energy configuration of a water molecule, bonded within the network. The complex has two silanol (Si-O-H) groups, from which H+ can be released when holes are available, as is the case under radiation. Migration of H + to the Si-SiO 2 interface then leads to depassivation of dangling bonds, i.e., an increase in interface trap density. Radiation-response measurements performed on samples exposed to elevated humidity and temperature conditions prior to irradiation exhibit a markedly greater increase in interface trap density than pre-baked control samples. We further report Monte Carlo simulations of proton transport in SiO 2 , showing that H + builds up at the interface. The complex processes of depassivation and passivation by H + are then modeled by differential rate equations. The final simulation results are in accord with the data
ISSN:0018-9499
1558-1578
DOI:10.1109/TNS.2006.884787