AVS 46th International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Division Monday Sessions
       Session PS-MoM

Paper PS-MoM1
Mechanisms and Dependencies of Gate Oxide Degradation Due to Electron Shading

Monday, October 25, 1999, 8:20 am, Room 609

Session: Plasma Damage
Presenter: K.P. Giapis, California Institute of Technology
Authors: G.S. Hwang, California Institute of Technology
K.P. Giapis, California Institute of Technology
Correspondent: Click to Email
We present results form self-consistent Monte Carlo simulations of charging during etching of dense antennas in uniform high-density plasmas. The simulations include sheath dynamics, ion and electron transport in the trench spaces, feature charging, electron tunneling through thin gate oxides and surface charge dissipation. Charging maps are used to illustrate how electron shading causes differential microstructure charging and subsequently electron tunneling from the substrate. The magnitude of this current is employed as a measure of the extent of damage to the gate oxide. The calculations explain experimental trends regarding electron and ion temperatures and suggest ways to reduce the damage by manipulating plasma parameters. A surprising sub-linear relationship between damage and antenna area is explained by a decrease in the net ion current density collected by the structure due to charging potential changes.