Comparison of the effects of post-oxidation anneals on the initial properties and the radiation response of rapid thermally processed oxides

The effects of post-oxidation processing on the initial performance (as measured here by pre-irradiation fixed-charge and interface-state densities) and radiation response of rapid thermally processed, metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors are investigated. The processing dependencies for the major groups of processing- and radiation-induced defects are discussed with respect to recent gains in understanding of the Si-SiO2 interfacial structure. Processing conditions for ideal initial properties are found to be quite different than those required for optimum radiation response. Guidelines for optimal post-oxidation thermal processing are given, taking into consideration both the initial performance and radiation response of the MOS device. The results indicate that even when using rapid thermal processing, post-gate oxide anneals above 900 degree C degrade the radiation tolerance