Effects of Device Aging on MicroelectronicsRadiation Response and Reliability

D. M. Fleetwood, M. P. Rodgers, L. Tsetseris, X. J. Zhou,

I. Batyrev, S. Wang, R. D. Schrimpf, and S. T. PantelidesVanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235

(dan.fleetwood@vanderbilt.edu)

Work supported in part by AFOSR MURI and US Navy

2

Outline

• Previous Work– Effects of burn-in, pre-irradiation temperature stress– Aging and baking effects on unpassivated capacitors

• Aging effects on transistors– Parts stored in a non-hermetic environment– Parts stored hermetically sealed– Humidity testing

• Density functional theory calculations

• Hardness assurance implications

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Effects of pre-irradiation elevated temperature stress

 M. R. Shaneyfelt, et al., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. vol. 41, 2550 (1994)

M. R. Shaneyfelt, et al., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., vol. 43, 865, 1996.

Example of burn-in reducinginterface traps in gate oxide

Example of pre-rad temperaturestress reducing oxide trapsin field oxide

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Aging effects in unpassivated, Al gate capacitors

No

t (1

012 c

m-2)

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Unbaked

baked

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Unbaked

baked

1986

Dose [krad(SiO2)]Dose [krad(SiO2)]

Nit (

101

2 c

m-2)

No

t (1

012

cm-2)

A. P. Karmarkar, B. K. Choi, R. D. Schrimpf, and D. M. Fleetwood, IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., vol. 48, pp. 2158-2163, 2001.

tox = 33 nm; bias during rad = 5 V; bias during bake = 0 V

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Experimental Details: Aging Study

• Fully processed and passivated poly-Si gate MOS transistors

– 32 nm, stored non-hermetically– 60 nm, stored hermetically– 60 nm, stored non-hermetically

• Parts from same lot well characterized in 1988

• 10-keV X-ray irradiation at dose rates of 100 and 850 rad(SiO2)/s for 60 and 32 nm, parts respectively

• 6 V bias applied to all nMOS gates with all other pins held at ground, for rad + anneal

• Midgap method of Winokur and McWhorter used to estimate ∆Vot and ∆Vit

D. M. Fleetwood et al. IEEE TNS Vol. 35, No. 6, 1497, Dec. 1988

WINOKUR etal. 1987

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Test Procedure: 32 nm, non-hermetically stored

Parts were stored

1988

2005

Parts were packaged & hermetically sealed in

1987

3 of the 6 parts were baked @ 200C with all pins grounded prior to

irradiation (PETS)

Half of the parts were not baked

Parts were irradiated to 500 krad(SiO2)

Parts were delidded

Parts were stored (not hermetically sealed)

Data recorded throughout the postirradiation anneal.

(room temperature)

Data recorded throughout the postirradiation anneal.

(room temperature)

Parts were irradiated to 500 krad(SiO2)

2 months after irradiation parts subjected to a high

temperature anneal parts @ 100C

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32 nm devices, non-hermetic: ∆Vth

500 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

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500 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

32 nm devices, non-hermetic: ∆Vit

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32 nm devices, non-hermetic: ∆Vot

500 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

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Parts were stored

1988

2005

Parts were delidded & irradiated to

100 krad(SiO2)

Data recorded throughout the postirradiation anneal.

(room temperature)

Data recorded throughout the postirradiation anneal.

(room temperature)

Parts were delidded

Parts were packaged & hermetically sealed in

1987

Half of the parts were baked @ 200C with all pins grounded prior to

irradiation (PETS)

Half of the parts were not baked

Parts were irradiated to 100 krad(SiO2)

2 months after irradiation parts subjected to a high

temperature anneal parts @ 100C

Test Procedure: 60 nm, hermetically stored

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60 nm devices, hermetic: ∆Vth

100 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

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32 nm devices, non-hermetic: ∆Vit

100 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

13

32 nm devices, non-hermetic: ∆Vot

100 krad(SiO2)

M. P. Rodgers, D. M. Fleetwood, R. D. Schrimpf, I. G. Batyrev, S. Wang, and S. T. Pantelides,IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

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60 nm devices: stored non-hermetically

Dose: 100 krad(SiO2); 6V bias

Similar enhancement in interface-trap buildup to 32 nm devices, stored non-hermetically

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Source of extra hydrogen

Left: Water complex consisting of two SiOH (silanol) groups and a broken ring [energy = +(0.3-0.7) eV]

Right: Water complex consisting of two SiOH groups and no broken ring [energy = -0.3 eV].

Water that diffuses into SiO2 naturally dissociates, providing extra H+ to enhance interface-trap formation

M. P. Rodgers, et al., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 52, 2642-2648 (2005).

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Supporting evidence: humidity testing

130C at 85% Relative Humidity; 0 VRad: 100k, 6VAnneal, 6V

Enhancement due to increased interface-trap buildup during post-irradiation anneal

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Implications for hardness assurance

• 50% margin in irradiation not sufficient to describe aging-induced increase in for non-hermetically stored devices

• Exposing parts to PETS does not simulate the aging effects observed in these parts

• Additional margins required in hardness assurance testing for parts susceptible to enhanced interface-trap buildup during aging

• Combining the aging and PETS effects shown may explain previous complications in low-dose-rate response of MOS and bipolar devices

Irradiate to spec level50 - 300 rad(Si)/s

Electrical Test< 2 hr

Pass ?

Biased Anneal168 hr @ 100 C

Irradiate to 0.5x spec50 - 300 rad(Si)/s

Biased Anneal@ T=25 C

RejectParts

RejectParts

PartsOK

Pass ?

Pass ?

Electrical Test

Electrical Test< 2 hr

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Conclusions

• Radiation response of MOS devices can change significantly with aging time after processing and/or packaging.– Effects are most significant for interface trap buildup during post-

irradiation annealing.

• Theory, as supported by the results of humidity tests, suggests that the increase in degradation is associated with H2O or other H-containing complexes.

• Non-hermetic environments are especially challenging.– How hermetic is hermetic enough?

– Some effects seen even for hermetic environments, likely due to on-chip sources of hydrogen.

• Extra margins required in lot acceptance testing for sensitive devices/environments.