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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2011
The necessity of employing nitridation process in advanced technologies will be underlined. The different technological alternatives for preparing oxinitride layers will be traced back, followed by a review of the methods currently available for assessing the degradation features of the Si/SiO2 system. Furthermore, comparison between pure SiO2 layers and nitridated films in N2O ambient will be conducted in terms of bulk/interface trapping properties and the obtained physical degradation data will be correlated with classical reliability results. Large emphasis will be given on the trapping properties of tunnel oxides used in non—volatile memory arrays and different technological alternatives will be exploited (i.e. Rapid Thermal Nitridation, Furnace Nitridation). In addition, a similar analysis will be carried out for gate oxides. Finally, some guidelines concerning the optimum selection of the furnace nitridation conditions will be given.