Enhanced negative-bias-temperature instability of P-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors due to plasma charging damage

Abstract

The effects of plasma charging on the negative-bias-temperature instability (NBTI) of p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistors were explored in this work. It is clearly shown that the threshold voltage shift during bias-temperature stressing (BTS) could be enhanced by plasma charging damage. More importantly, we also found that electron trappings are aggravated by plasma charging, even on new devices with large antenna area ratios prior to BTS. Our charge pumping current measurements confirm that the interface-state density is increased for devices with large antennas, both before and after the BTS. This indicates, without ambiguity, that electron trapping is solely responsible for the observed low (in absolute value) threshold voltage in new devices with large antennas. Finally, it is proposed that the NBTI characterization can be used as a sensitive method for characterizing the antenna effects in devices with ultrathin gate oxide, which is particularly attractive in light of the fact that conventional indicators are becoming inadequate as oxide is scaled down.