The Influence of Silicon Oxide Nitridation by Pulsed Photon Processing on the Electrical Parameters of the Electronic Component Base of CMOS Integrated Circuits

The effect of nitridation of silicon oxide layers obtained by thermal oxidation by pulsed photon treatment in a nitrogen atmosphere on the electrical characteristics of transistors and capacitors with a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure was studied. Silicon oxide layers with thicknesses of 7.7 and 35.0 nm were obtained by oxidizing single-crystal silicon substrates in dry oxygen. Nitridization of the layers was achieved by heating the substrates in a nitrogen atmosphere to a temperature of 1150 °C for 7 s using a pulse of incoherent radiation of constant power from quartz halogen lamps directed at the non-working side of the silicon substrate. In a study of the current- voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics of test elements with a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure, it was found that nitridation by pulsed photon treatment leads, as a result of the restructuring of the oxide layer, its compaction, and a decrease in the density of charge states from 1.5 to 4 times, to a decrease in the gate leakage current from 3.3 to 7 times, an increase in the gate breakdown voltage by 1.05 times, a decrease in the threshold voltage shift during thermal field tests from 1.3 to 1.6 times and an increase in the breakdown charge by 9–13 %. The obtained results can be used in enterprises of the microelectronics industry in the manufacture of electronic products with metal-oxide-semiconductor structures.

1. Doering R., Nishi Y. (2007) Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, 2nd ed. NY, CRC Press Publ. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420017663.

2. Guarin F. J., Rauch S. E., La Rosa G., Brelsford K. (1999) Improvement in Hot Carrier Lifetime as a Function of N2 Ion Implantation Before Gate Oxide Growth in Deep Submicron NMOS Devices. IEEE Electron Device Letters. 20 (12), 602–604. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/55.806098.

3. Adam L. S., Bowen C., Law M. E. (2003) On Implant-Based Multiple Gate Oxide Schemes for System-On-Chip Integration. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. 50 (3), 589–600. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TED.2003.810473.

4. Park H., Ilderem V., Jasper С., Kaneshiro M., Christiansens J., Jones K. S. (1997) The Effects of Implanted Nitrogen on Diffusion of Boron and Evolution of Extended Defects. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings. 469, 425–430. http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/PROC-469-425.

5. Pilipenko V. A., Solodukha V. A., Gorushko V. A. (2018) Influence of Fast Thermal Treatment on the Electrophysical Properties of Silicon Dioxide. Journal of Engineering Physics and Thermophysics. 91 (5), 1337–1341. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10891-018-1866-0.

6. Kovalchuk N. S., Pilipenko V. A., Solovjov Ja. A. (2025) Effect of Pulsed Photon Processing in Nitrogen Ambient on Optical and Electrophysical Characteristics of Silicon Dioxide Layers of Its Boundaries with Silicon. Doklady BGUIR. 23 (3), 5–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.35596/1729-7648-2025-23-3-5-11 (in Russian).

7. Pilipenka U. A, Kovalchuk N. S., Solovjov J. A., Shestovsky D. V., Anishchik V. M., Ponariadov V. V. (2025) Mechanism of Nitridisation of Silicon Dioxide Layers During Pulsed Photon Treatment in a Nitrogen Ambient. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Physics. (2), 68–73 (in Russian).

8. Kovalchuk N. S., Pilipenko V. A., Solovjov Ja. A. (2025) Effect of Pulsed Photon Processing in A Nitrogen Ambient on the Reliability of Gate Silicon Oxide Obtained by Pyrogenic Oxidation. Devices and Methods of Measurements. 16 (3), 275–280. http://dx.doi.org/10.21122/2220-9506-2025-16-3-275-280 (in Russian).

9. Belous A. I., Emelyanov A. V., Chigir G. G. (2008) Test Structures in Integrated Circuit Quality Management Systems. Minsk, Integralpoligraf Publi.House (in Russian).