Comparison of Plasma-Induced Damage in SIO2/TIN and HFO2/TIN Gate Stacks

SiO
₂
and HfO
₂
> gate dielectrics with TiN electrodes were subjected to an aggressive post-fabrication plasma exposure. A comparison of plate and comb antenna structures before and after exposure demonstrated that the plate antennae structures demonstrate evidence of plasma-induced damage while the comb structures did not. The physical origin of PD in SiO
₂
devices was found to be the amphoteric interface states, while the primary effect in HfO
₂
devices was charges trapped in the bulk of the high-K film.