Ultrathin (2.7 nm) oxy-nitride for suppressing boron penetration characterized by direct hole tunneling current in p+/pMOS

One key issue in advanced CMOS technology is the boron penetration effect. In this paper, ultra-thin gate oxy-nitride (2.5 nm/spl sim/2.7 nm) is characterized by direct hole and electron tunneling currents in p-MOSFETs. The gate oxide with nitrogen-rich layer on top is the most effective for boron penetration suppression. The NO-nitridation is also more effective in suppressing boron diffusion than N/sub 2/O-nitridation.