Charge trapping and detrapping characteristics in hafnium silicate gate dielectric using an inversion pulse measurement technique

Threshold voltage $(VTH)$ instability in metal oxide semiconductor field transistors (MOSFETs) with high dielectric constant (k) gate dielectrics has been investigated with an inversion pulse measurement technique, which can detect fast dielectric charging/discharging within microseconds $(μs)$⁠. The results indicate that $VTH$ instability can be significantly underestimated by conventional $VTH$ measurement techniques. Based on temperature-dependent stress data, it is suggested that charging and discharging are determined by direct tunneling and thermally assisted processes, respectively.