Fast and slow charge trapping/detrapping processes in high-k nMOSFETs

A single pulse technique with a wide range of pulse times has been applied to study trap charging and discharging mechanisms in nMOSFET high-k devices. It is shown that both charging and discharging are controlled by two distinctive processes with different characteristic times. A proposed characterization methodology, which separates the relaxation effects associated with the fast transient charging/discharging processes, allows extracting the intrinsic dependence of threshold voltage on stress time