U.S.-China Cooperative Research: Studies of Nitrided and Fluorinated Thin Gate Oxides for Advanced MOS Technology

9424636 mA这项由耶鲁大学和中国科学院新疆物理研究所的研究人员联合开展的研究项目，旨在为未来几代金属氧化物半导体集成电路技术回答有关先进薄栅介质的一些重要科学问题。这项合作研究项目的目的是更好地了解氮和氟在提高薄栅氧化物可靠性方面的作用。特别是，我们希望回答以下问题：(I)氮或氟的浓度和空间分布如何影响栅氧化层的电学性质；(Ii)氮或氟的浓度和空间分布如何影响MOS器件中的热载流子效应(包括介质击穿)和辐射效应；(Iii)氮或氟的掺杂是否/如何影响氧化物中的氢迁移；(Iv)氮或氟的掺杂是否/如何引起SiO_2/Si界面附近的应变弛豫；以及(V)工艺参数如何影响氮或氟的浓度和分布。通过这项研究所获得的知识可以对半导体行业的工艺开发起到有益的指导作用，从而有助于加速这一先进的栅氧化物技术的发展，使其走向商业成熟。

9424636 Ma This proposed research project, to be conducted jointly by researchers at Yale and at the Xinjiang Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is designed to answer some important scientific questions concerning advanced thin gate dielectrics for future generations of MOS (Metal-Oxide- Semiconductor) integrated circuit technology. The objective of this collaborative research project is to achieve a better understanding of the role of nitrogen and fluorine in improving the thin gate oxide reliability. In particular, we hope to answer the questions as to (i) how the concentration and spatial distribution of nitrogen or fluorine affect the electrical properties of the gate oxide, (ii) how the concentration and spatial distribution of nitrogen or fluorine affect the hot-carrier effects (including dielectric breakdown) as well as radiation effects in MOS devices, (iii) whether/how the incorporation of nitrogen or fluorine affect the hydrogen migration in the oxide, (iv) whether/how the incorporation of nitrogen or fluorine causes strain relaxation near the SiO 2/Si interface, and (v) how the processing parameters affect the concentration and distribution of nitrogen or fluorine. The knowledge to be gained from this research could serve as a useful guide for the semiconductor industry in their process development, and thereby help to accelerate the development of this advanced gate oxide technology to commercial maturity.