Hot-carrier effects on leakage currents in MOSFETs—Modelling and experiment

Abstract The degradation of a MOSFET after a stress is studied through the variation with the gate bias of the leakage current measured when the drain and source are short circuited (GCD characteristics). We have shown that it is a very sensitive method of diagnosis for the hot carrier induced creation of interface states and charges. This method is easier to interpret than the usual charge pumping method. We have observed different types of GCD characteristics after a stress with one or two humps and with small or high tunneling currents for negative and even positive gate bias. Up to now, we have simulated the spatial distributions of interface states (or related interfacial generation velocities) and charges along the interface by only considering the impact or trapping of hot-electrons using the models given respectively by C.Hu and P.Roblin for the creation of interface states and charges. The distributions of the carriers and the electric field during a stress are given by MINIMOS. We have introduced the calculated profile of interface states and charges created by hot-electrons in a home-modified version of MINIMOS in order to calculate the interfacial generation current using the classical SHR statistic. We have effectively verified experimentally and theoretically that this current is the main component of the leakage current for the studied transistors. We have obtained simulated GCD characteristics which are in qualitative agreement with the different GCD experimental characteristics.

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