Suppression of the MOS transistor hot carrier degradation caused by water desorbed from intermetal dielectric

Abstract

The effects of absorbed water of spin-on glass (SOG) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-O/sub 3/ NSG on MOS transistor hot carrier degradation were investigated. It was found that the absorbed water in SOG and TEOS-O/sub 3/ NSG film desorbs from the film during subsequent low temperature annealing and causes hot carrier degradation. It was also found that plasma CVD silicon oxide (P-SiO) deposited under certain conditions suppresses the hot carrier degradation drastically. Because the P-SiO film has a small water absorption rate, it blocks water penetration to the silicon surface.<>