Positive oxide charge from hot hole injection during channel-hot-electron stress

Positive oxide charge build up (+Q/sub OT/) during channel-hot-electron (CHE) stress in silicon n-channel MOS transistors from 1.0 and 0.35-/spl mu/m technologies is monitored by the direct-current current-voltage (DCIV) method. Experiments demonstrated the following: (1) +Q/sub OT/ is located over the drain/channel junction space-charge-region, (2) threshold hole kinetic energy equals the SiO/sub 2//Si hole barrier, /spl phi//sub Xh/=4.25 eV, (3) the oxide-charging carriers near the threshold are the secondary hot holes generated by interband impact-collision and Auger-recombination of the CHEs with thermalized holes impact-generated in the n/sup +/ drain by CHEs, and (4) the smallest threshold drain acceleration voltage from interband Auger-recombination among the four intrinsic pathways is smaller than /spl phi//sub Xh/ by E/sub Gap/-Sl, 4.25 V-1.12 V=3.13 V.