Analysis of Data Obtained Using the Thermal-Step Method on a MOS Structure-An Electrostatic Approach

• Published in: IEEE transactions on industry applications Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 1144 - 1150
• Main Authors: Boyer, Ludovic, Fruchier, Olivier, Notingher, Petru, Agnel, Serge, Toureille, Alain, Rousset, Bernard, Sanchez, Jean-Louis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.05.2010; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Acquisitions; Amplitudes; Capacitance; Charge measurement; Current measurement; Data analysis; Dielectrics and electrical insulation; Electric charge; Electronics; Electrostatic analysis; Electrostatic measurements; Electrostatics; Engineering Sciences; Marketing; Mathematical models; Metal oxide semiconductors; metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS); oxide; Oxides; Pressure measurement; Pulse measurements; reliability; space charge; Substrates; thermal-step method (TSM)
• ISSN: 0093-9994; 1939-9367
• DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2010.2045211

The thermal-step method (TSM) is a nondestructive technique for measuring electric charge, based on the acquisition of a capacitive current appearing when a thermal step of low amplitude is applied to an insulating structure. The electrostatic modeling of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure while crossed by a thermal wave is addressed in this paper, in view of analyzing the data obtained by TSM in conjunction with capacitance-voltage measurements. Applications to MOS samples with 120-nm-thick oxides are presented.