Impact of stress induced by stressors on hot carrier reliability of strained nMOSFETs

In this study, the nMOSFETs with contact-etch-stop-layer (CESL) stressor and SiGe channel have been fabricated with a modified 90-nm technology. The performance of nMOSFETs and stress distribution in the channel region have been investigated. The hot carrier reliability of the SiGe-channeled nMOSFETs with various CESL nitride layers has also been extensively studied. In addition, the impact of stress induced by CESL stressor and SiGe-channel on hot-carrier reliability of the strained nMOSFETs has been analyzed through experimental measurements and stress simulation results.