Comparison of oxide leakage currents induced by ion implantation and high field electric stress

Abstract We compare in this work the electrical properties of gate leakage currents induced through the thin SiO 2 oxide layer of metal-oxide-semiconductor structures by high-energy ion implantation (Boron B 2+ ) and high field electrical stresses where electrons are injected from the gate in the Fowler–Nordheim regime. Even if the high-frequency capacitance–voltage characteristics are very different after both treatments, comparable increases and similar shapes are found at low field in static gate current–voltage curves, typical of equivalent oxide damage. Moreover, these stress or implantation induced leakage currents are both removed in a similar way by a thermal anneal under forming gas at 430°C. We conclude that similar defects could be induced through the oxide by both processes and generate those excess currents by a defect assisted tunneling mechanism.