Gate-Length and Drain-Bias Dependence of Band-to-Band Tunneling-Induced Drain Leakage in Irradiated Fully Depleted SOI Devices

The effects of gate length and drain bias on the off-state drain leakage current of irradiated fully-depleted SOI n-channel MOSFETs are reported. The experimental results are interpreted using a model based on the combined effects of band-to-band tunneling (BBT) and the trapped charge in the buried oxide. For negative gate-source voltages, the drain leakage current increases with the drain voltage because the electric field in the gate-to-drain overlap region is increasing. The off-state current in these devices increases with total ionizing dose due to oxide trapped charge build up in the buried oxide, enhanced by the BBT mechanism. The experimental data show that these effects are more significant for devices with shorter gate-lengths. Simulation results suggest that the BBT-generated holes are more likely to drift all the way from the drain to the source in shorter devices, enhancing the drain leakage current, while they tend to tunnel across the gate oxide in longer devices.