Oxide-thickness determination in thin-insulator MOS structures

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 432 - 438
• Main Authors: Ricco, B., Olivo, P., Nguyen, T.N., Kuan, T.-S., Ferriani, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.04.1988; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Capacitance measurement; Capacitance-voltage characteristics; Compound structure devices; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Insulation; MOS capacitors; MOS devices; Numerical simulation; Semiconductor device doping; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Semiconductor process modeling; Thickness measurement; Voltage; Thickness; Band bending; Transmission electron microscopy; Flat band voltage; Voltage current curve; Doping; Polycrystal; MOS structure; Silicon; MOS capacity
• ISSN: 0018-9383; 1557-9646
• DOI: 10.1109/16.2476

A technique to electrically determine the oxide thickness (and, in some cases, the flat-band voltage and surface doping as well) of thin-insulator MOS structures is discussed. This method does not require a model for either the accumulated or inverted semiconductor interface but assumes only that the classical MOS theory holds for zero surface band bending. By means of numerical simulations and comparison with high-resolution measurements obtained with transmission-electron microscopy, the technique is found to be valid well beyond the conditions for which it has been mathematically derived and to be applicable in almost all cases of practical interest.< >