Constant voltage stress induced charge trapping and detrapping characteristics of the Si(3)N(4) uniaxial strained n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor with fluorinated HfO(2)/SiON gate stack

Abstract

Charge trapping and detrapping characteristics of Si(3)N(4) contact etch stop layer (SiN CESL) uniaxial strained n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (nMOSFET) with fluorinated HfO(2)/SiON gate stack have been investigated for the first time. Smaller threshold voltage shift can consequently obtain for the SiN CESL strained nMOSFET with fluorinated HfO(2)/SiON gate stack, primarily due to passivation of oxygen vacancies and dangling bonds by either nitrogen or fluorine atoms. However, the SiN CESL strained nMOSFET with fluorinated gate stack inevitably exhibits less charge detrapping ratio, which means greater part of stress-induced charges would remain in the gate stack after nitrogen or fluorine incorporation, respectively. (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3541878]