The Incremental Frequency Charge Pumping Method: Extending the CMOS Ultra-Thin Gate Oxide Measurement Down to 1nm

Interface characterization is fundamental to the understanding of device reliability as well as the gate oxide process monitoring, in particular for the development of an efficient tool for analyzing the hot carrier reliability of state-of-the-art CMOS devices. This paper will give an overview of more advanced charge pumping technique for extending the reliability characterization of ultra-thin gate oxide CMOS in the direct tunneling regime which conventional CV measurement can not meet. This talk will address the basics of charge pumping (CP) method, an advanced technique called IFCP(Incremental Frequency CP), and the applications to the device interface characterization as well as CMOS reliabilities. Its potential use for the device reliability study, such as hot-carrier, NBTI, and oxide process quality monitoring for the advanced CMOS technology will be presented. More recent developments for sub-100nm strained-silicon CMOS device applications will also be demonstrated.