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Plasma Induced Damage To Thin Gate Oxides, Dustin L. Winters

Journal of the Microelectronic Engineering Conference

Two mechanisms of plasma processing damage to thin gate oxide structures were studied. Thin 17.5 mu oxide on Si substrate structures were studied after direct exposure to a oxygen plasma environment with surface charge analysis and breakdown voltage measurements. A second antenna structure was used to study the charging effects of an oxygen plasma on 17.5 nm gate oxides through breakdown voltage measurements. A correlation was found between duration of plasma exposure and the extent of damage in terms of decreased dielectric strength and changes in oxide charge levels for both experiments.