Effects of residual surface nitrogen on the dielectric breakdown characteristics of regrown oxides

Effects of residual surface nitrogen, remaining on the Si surface after stripping off tunneling oxynitrides (N/sub 2/O-grown or NH/sub 3/-nitrided oxides), on the quality of the regrown gate oxides are studied. Residual surface nitrogen is observed to reduce the breakdown field and degrade the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) characteristics of the subsequently grown gate oxides. Results show that oxide regrowth in N/sub 2/O, rather than O/sub 2/, can significantly suppress these undesirable effects.<
>