Ultra thin oxide reliability in CMOS devices and circuits

The reliability margin for ultra-thin gate oxide seems worrisomely small, by most measures. However, the last few years have seen some new physical understanding of the breakdown process, and renewed attention to the real effect of oxide breakdown on circuit performance, which may permit an improved reliability outlook. This tutorial will review oxide reliability projections and discuss new ideas such as progressive breakdown and implications for circuits.

James H. Stathis

J.H. Stathis received the bachelor’s in physics (Summa Cum Laude) from Washington University in St. Louis (1980), and the Ph.D. in physics from the MIT (1986), joining the IBM Research Division the same year. The focus of his work at IBM has been the electrical properties of point defects in SiO₂, including basic studies of defect structure using magnetic resonance and electrical measurement techniques, and the role of defects in wearout and breakdown. He is the author of more than 70 research papers.