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Reliability of Silicon Nitride Gate Dielectric in Vertical Thin-Film Transistors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Maryam Moradi ,
D. Striakhilev ,
I. Chan ,
A. Nathan ,
N. I. Cho  and
H. G. Nam
Maryam Moradi
Affiliation:
mmoradi@uwaterloo.ca, University of Watreloo, ECE, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, N2L3G1, Canada
D. Striakhilev
Affiliation:
dastriak@venus.uwaterloo.ca, University of Waterloo, Electrical and Computer Eng., 200 University Ave. West,, Waterloo, N2L3G1, Canada
I. Chan
Affiliation:
iwchan@venus.uwaterloo.ca, University of Waterloo, Electrical and Computer Eng., 200 University Ave. West,, Waterloo, N2L3G1, Canada
A. Nathan
Affiliation:
anathan@ee.ucl.ac.uk, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street,, London, WC1H 0AH, United Kingdom
N. I. Cho
Affiliation:
nicho@sunmoon.ac.kr, Sun Moon university, Electronic Eng., Asan-Si, Chungnam, 336-708, Korea, Republic of
H. G. Nam
Affiliation:
hgnam@sunmoon.ac.kr, Sun Moon university, Electronic Eng., Asan-Si, Chungnam, 336-708, Korea, Republic of
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Abstract

In this work, we have conducted a systematic investigation of leakage current and electrical breakdown of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride, both for planar films and deposited films on the vertical sidewall for the application of the vertical thin film transistors. The thickness evolution of physical properties and electrical characteristics of silicon nitride films in the range of 50 to 300 nm are investigated. Electrical breakdown strength for 150-300nm thick films was approximately 7 MV/cm, whereas the value dropped to ~3MV/cm for 50nm thick films deposited under the same process conditions. It is shown that the early failure of the thin nitride is accompanied by the increase of the pinholes number. For the vertical thin film transistors, the experimental result shows the reliability and leakage current of the gate dielectric depends on the step coverage of the silicon nitride film on the vertical sidewall.

Keywords

nitridethin filmdielectric properties
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 989: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology-2007 , 2007 , 0989-A08-05
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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