Defect properties of high-k/metal-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors determined by characterization of random telegraph noise

摘要

The defect severity in n-channel high-k/metal-gate MOSFETs is analyzed with the trap energy level E_T extracted from the random telegraph noise (RTN). The external factors of E_T are the gate overdrive and the trap depth X_T. By observing the RTN phenomenon at the same X_T, the drain current was found to be tow in devices to which a tow gate overdrive was applied. However, by fixing the gate overdrive, devices with a low initial E_T show a high fluctuation and a small X_T. This method enables the determination of defect severity in future advanced devices.