Extraction of the Threshold-Voltage Shift by the Single-Pulse Technique

Methods for extracting threshold-voltage shift (DeltaV
_th
) in high-kappa transistors using the single-pulse drain current-gate voltage (I
_d
-V
_g
) technique were compared with respect to their accuracies and limitations. It is concluded that an accurate estimation of the (DeltaV
_th
) caused by charge trapping in high-kappa dielectrics can be obtained from the hysteresis of the pulsed (I
_d
-V
_g
) curve with proper calibration of the pulse measurement to account for the propagation delay. The (DeltaV
_th
) extraction that is based on the decrease of drain current during a pulse tends to underestimate charge trapping for higher pulse amplitudes.