Method for stressing oxide in MOS devices during fabrication using first and second opposite potentials

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for stressing the oxide layer (36) of an MOS integrated circuit during the fabrication process. One aspect of the invention is a method for fabricating an MOS integrated circuit. In accordance with this method, an oxide layer (36) is formed on a semiconductor substrate (34), and a gate layer (38) is formed on top of the oxide layer (36). During fabrication of the MOS integrated circuit, a potential is applied between the gate layer (38) and the semiconductor substrate (34) in order to stress the oxide layer (36). Other aspects of the invention include applying both a forward and reverse potential to stress the oxide layer (36). Also, the oxide stress can be applied at an elevated temperature. Elevated temperature aids in stressing the oxide layer (36).