Postdeposition-Anneal Effect on Negative Bias Temperature Instability in HfSiON Gate Stacks

The effect of postdeposition anneals in various ambients on negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) in metal-organic chemical-vapor-deposited HfSiO(N) stacks is investigated. The nitrided stacks, either by anneal or decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) followed by a postnitridation anneal in O
₂
or N
₂
(DPN + O
₂
and DPN + N
₂
), are more degraded by NBTI than the nonnitrided ones (O
₂
, N
₂
anneal, and as deposited stacks). Moreover, none of the nitrided stacks reaches the 10-year NBTI lifetime, while the lifetime for the nonnitrided ones is larger than 10 years. Nitrogen profiles measured by X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy and charge-pumping-current data show a relation between nitrogen location and positively charged defects in the gate stack. The additional NBT degradation in nitrided stacks is due to filling or generation of nitrogen-related defects by holes that are injected from the channel.