Measurement of very low tunneling current density in SiO/sub 2/ using the floating-gate technique

The floating-gate technique for measuring extremely low gate currents has been adapted to the measurement of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling currents in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. Using a special structure consisting of an MOS capacitor and a monitor transistor sharing a common-gate electrode, it has proved possible to measure tunneling current densities as low as 2*10/sup -13/ A/cm/sup 2/. The Fowler-Nordheim tunneling relationship was found to be obeyed over the entire measurable range of current density.>