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We proposed an electrical evaluation method on the basis of leakage current-stress time (I-t) measurement for plasma-induced damage (PID) in interlayer dielectric films. The I-t measurement, which is widely used for the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) test is applied to the evaluation of PID in thick SiO 2 films. We focus on the electron trapping process during the TDDB test. The initial stage of time evolution of leakage current is monitored, and compared among the samples damaged under various plasma conditions. It was found that the initial electron trapping rate depends on the amount of damage, i.e., the rate increases with increasing in process time (t pr ) and dc self-bias voltage (V dc ). The proposed technique can be used to assess the reliability degradation of interlayer dielectric films caused by PID.

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