The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 07, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 06, 1995
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A silicon oxynitride (oxynitride) dielectric layer is presented using a process in which nitrogen is incorporated into the dielectric as it is grown upon a silicon substrate. The oxynitride layer is grown at elevated temperature and pressure in an ambient containing N.sub.2 O and/or NO. A MOS gate dielectric is advantageously formed from the oxynitride dielectric layer with a sufficient nitrogen concentration near the interface between a boron-doped polysilicon gate electrode and the gate dielectric as to prevent boron atoms from penetrating into the gate dielectric. Further, the oxynitride layer contains a sufficient nitrogen concentration near the interface between the gate dielectric and a silicon substrate as to reduce the number of high-energy electrons injected into the gate dielectric which become trapped in the gate dielectric. Nitrogen atoms in the gate dielectric near the interface between the boron-doped polysilicon gate electrode and the gate dielectric physically block boron atoms, preventing them from penetrating into the gate dielectric. Nitrogen atoms and silicon atoms form strong Si--N bonds at the interface between the gate dielectric and the silicon substrate, helping ensure injected electrons are not easily trapped in the oxynitride dielectric layer.