A very sensitive electron paramagnetic resonance technique, spin-dependent recombination, was used to observe and identify the defect centres generated by modest negative bias and moderately elevated temperatures in fully processed p-channel metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors. The defects include two Si/SiO2 interface Si dangling bond centres (Pb0 and Pb1) and may also include an oxide Si dangling bond center (E’). The observations strongly suggested that both Pb0 and Pb1 defects play major roles in the negative bias temperature instability.

Direct Observation of the Structure of Defect Centers Involved in the Negative Bias Temperature Instability. J.P.Campbell, P.M.Lenahan, A.T.Krishnan, S.Krishnan: Applied Physics Letters, 2005, 87[20], 204106 (3pp)