Mechanism for stress-induced leakage currents in thin silicon dioxide films

Leakage currents introduced in the low-field, direct-tunneling regime of thin oxides during high-field stress are related to defects produced by hot-electron transport in the oxide layer. From these studies, it is concluded that the ‘‘generation’’ of neutral electron traps in thin oxides is the dominant cause of this phenomenon. Other mechanisms due to anode hole injection or oxide nonuniformities are shown to be unrealistic for producing these currents. Exposure of thin oxides to atomic hydrogen from a remote plasma is shown to cause leakage currents similar to those observed after high-field stress, supporting the conclusion that these currents are related to hydrogen-induced defects.