Nano-meter scaled gate area high-K dielectrics with trap-assisted tunneling and random telegraph noise

If the trap density is 1012 cm-2, then there are only one trap in 10nm × 10nm on average. Accordingly, three-dimensional simulation that is sensitive to the movement of sole electron is indispensable for carefully investigating the reliability issues related to local traps in future nano-electron devices. As a demonstration, we investigate Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) and Trap-Assisted Tunneling (TAT) at the same moment in 5nm×5nm gate area high-K dielectrics (EOT= 0.8nm to 0.47nm). The simulation is carried out with respect to various gate biases, physical thickness of high-K, interlayer suboxide thickness, and dielectric constant of high-K. It is suggested that thinner suboxide and higher permittivity can suppress the increase of the leakage current which is caused by TAT.