A Review on Dielectric Breakdown in Thin Dielectrics: Silicon Dioxide, High‐k, and Layered Dielectrics

Abstract

Thin dielectric films are essential components of most micro-and nanoelectronic devices, and they have played a key role in the huge development that the semiconductor industry has experienced during the last 50 years. Guaranteeing the reliability of thin dielectric films has become more challenging, in light of strong demand from the market for improved performance in electronic devices. The degradation and breakdown of thin dielectrics under normal device operation has an enormous technological importance and thus it is widely investigated in traditional dielectrics (e.g., SiO 2 , HfO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 ), and it should be further investigated in novel dielectric materials that might be used in future devices (e.g., layered dielectrics). Understanding not only the physical phenomena behind dielectric breakdown but also its statistics is crucial to ensure the reliability of modern and future electronic devices, and it can also be cleverly used for other applications, such as the fabrication of new-concept resistive switching devices (e.g., nonvolatile memories and electronic synapses). Here, the fundamentals of the dielectric breakdown phenomenon in traditional and future thin dielectrics are revised. The physical phenomena that trigger the onset, structural damage, breakdown statistics, device reliability, technological implications, and perspectives are described.

Use of High-Field Electron Injection into Dielectrics to Enhance Functional Capabilities of Radiation MOS Sensors

“…Thus, both types of sensors have the same dielectric film formed in common technological process. This dielectric film allows to implement the high-field injection of electrons into the dielectric for used sensors [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] what is the main distinctive feature of these. In order to initiate the mode of high-field electron injection we utilized an experimental setup realized by means of precision source/measuring device of constant current (voltage) NI PXIe-4135 which was controlled by the special program implemented in NI LabVIEW.…”

“…-in order to compute a value of the cathode field we use Fowler-Nordheim equation for current density [17][18][19]: The irradiation by protons was implemented by means of experimental setup based on a particle accelerator. That allowed to use proton beams with energies of 150-500 keV.…”

“…-in order to compute a value of the cathode field we use Fowler-Nordheim equation for current density [17][18][19]:…”

Study on the Connection Between the Set Transient in RRAMs and the Progressive Breakdown of Thin Oxides

“…In this regard, Palumbo et al have presented in Ref. [13] a model describing the gate oxide BD phenomenon in ultra-thin, bulk dielectrics considering SiO 2 and various high-k dielectrics with different thermal conductivities deposited on III-V and Si substrates as well as in 2D layered materials [28], providing good understanding of the experimental data. Such model accounts for the progressive nature of the BD event and quantifies it in terms of dI BD /dt (namely the Degradation Rate, DR), where I BD is the current through the device during the Progressive Breakdown (PBD).…”

“…However, for simplicity we have preferred to model the I SET − V characteristic of the CF in HRS by assuming an interpolation equation (Eq. 2) [13], [28]. This avoids the use of more parameters.…”