Edge FN stress induced leakage current in tunnel oxides

The mechanism and characteristics of edge FN stress induced leakage current (SILC) in tunnel oxides are investigated. The dominant SILC mechanism is found to be positive oxide charge assisted electron tunneling. A pronounced transient effect in edge FN SILC is observed. The transient effect arises from the fact that positive oxide charges, which help electrons tunnel through the oxide, can themselves escape to the Si substrate at a positive measurement field. The edge FN SILC can be significantly reduced by using a substrate hot electron injection technique.