In-line electrical characterization of ultrathin gate dielectric films

In this paper, in-line measurements of ultrathin gate dielectrics are reported. Various plasma nitrided oxides down to 1.5 nm EOT have been studied using in-line optical and non-contact electrical measurement techniques. The good correlation obtained with physical analysis and "classic" capacitance-voltage measurements shows the suitability of in-line measurement techniques for a first qualitative evaluation of ultrathin dielectric films.