1/f Noise in Si[sub 0.8]Ge[sub 0.2] pMOSFETs Under Fowler-Nordheim Stress.

The 1/f noise in Si[sub 0.8]Ge[sub 0.2] pMOSFETs was found to be lower than in all-silicon (Si) pMOSFETs, before and after Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) stress. The minimum noise in the Si[sub 0.8]Ge[sub 0.2] pMOSFET occurred at the thinnest unconsumed Si-cap of approximately 2 nm, because of rite reduced-oxide trap density (N[sub ot]) near the Fermi level (E[sub F]) in the device. However, all samples in this study, including the Si control and the Si[sub 0.8] Ge[sub 0.2] pMOSFETs with different unconsumed Si-cap thicknesses of 21-64 Å, revealed almost identical relative changes in 1 / f noise due to the stress, despite the relatively wide range of initial noise values. This suggests identical relative changes in N[sub ot] at the E[sub F] in the devices during F-N stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]