Charging damage in thin gate-oxides-better or worse?

The question of whether or not thinner gate oxide is less susceptible to plasma charging damage depends on a number of factors. One important factor is the definition of damage itself. The measurement method is linked to the definition of damage. When the charging current is low and charging voltage is high, thinner oxides are indeed far less prone to damage. When the charging current is high and charging voltage is low, as in most new plasma systems, thinner oxides are more susceptible to damage. In a very crude way, one may conclude that older plasma systems tend to belong to the low current, high charging voltage class, while modern plasma equipment tends to belong to the high current, low charging voltage class. In this sense, it is the concomitant change to high density plasma processing with advanced technology where thinner gate oxides are used that make plasma charging damage continue to be a major problem.