Thickness dependence of boron penetration through O2- and N2O-grown gate oxides and its impact on threshold voltage variation

Boron penetration through 5 nm to 8 nm gate dielectrics grown in O2 or N2O via RTO increases exponentially with decreasing oxide thickness. A physical model describes the thickness dependence observed for boron penetration. The model enables prediction of the minimum oxide thickness required to inhibit boron penetration. The significance of boron-induced threshold voltage variation in ULSI technologies is studied.