Improved bias-temperature instability characteristics in SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with aluminum oxynitride dielectrics

Significant improvement of bias-temperature instability characteristics in SiC-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices was demonstrated with high-permittivity aluminum oxynitride (AlON) dielectrics deposited on thin thermal oxides. AlON/SiO2 stacked dielectrics were found to be beneficial not only for reducing gate leakage current but also for suppressing diffusion of positively charged ions, leading to stable SiC-MOS characteristics even under strong electric fields and high temperatures. Unlike the prompt electric-field-induced ion migration in thermally grown and sputter-deposited SiO2 dielectrics, the ion drift for the stacked gate dielectrics was confined within the thin SiO2 underlayers owing to low ion diffusivity in AlON layers. Impacts of mobile ions on interface properties of SiC-MOS devices and effects of intentional ion trapping within the AlON layers were also systematically investigated. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.