Konstantin V. Loiko

1-D and 2-D Geometry Effects in Uniaxially-Strained Dual Etch Stop Layer Stressor Integrations

We report, for the first time, on the 2D boundary effects in a high performance 65nm SOI technology with dual etch stop layer (dESL) stressors. 1D geometry effects, such as poly pitch dependence, and the implications on SPICE models and circuit design are also discussed. It will be shown that PMOS and ring oscillator performance can be significantly enhanced by optimizing the transverse and lateral placement of the dESL boundary

High Performance Nanocrystal Based Embedded Flash Microcontrollers with Exceptional Endurance and Nanocrystal Scaling Capability

In this paper, we present the first-ever commercially available embedded Microcontrollers built on 90nm-node with silicon nanocrystal memories that has intrinsic capability of exceeding 500K program/erase cycles. We also show that the cycling performance across temperature (-40C to 125C) is very well behaved even while maintaining high performance that meets or exceeds the requirements of consumer, industrial, and automotive markets. In specific EEPROM implementation, such high endurance is capable of delivering in excess of 200M data updates. In addition, we also demonstrate that the nanocrystal flash memory is highly scalable to the next generation nodes and the scaling can be accomplished without degradation of pro-gram/erase speed, endurance and reliability.

Multi-Layer Model for Stressor Film Deposition

Multi-layer simulation is proposed for accurate modeling of stressor film deposition. Multi-layer simulation subdivides a single deposition into a series of deposition and relaxation steps to emulate mechanical quasi-equilibrium during the physical deposition process. Only the multi-layer model is able to simultaneously match the experimental data on drive current vs. etch-stop layer stress, poly pitch, source/drain recess, and spacer stress

Modeling and Simulation of Poly-Space Effects in Uniaxially-Strained Etch Stop Layer Stressors

We develop, for the first time, a compact and scalable model to account for the poly-space effects (PSEs) in uniaxially-strained etch stop layer (ESL) stressors. The model is based on 2-dimensional (2D) finite element (FEM) stress simulations and 4-point bending characterization of silicon, and agrees well with measured data. The impact of PSEs on circuit performance is also discussed.

16Mb Split Gate Flash Memory with Improved Process Window

This paper reports on recent bitcell optimizations that improve drive current and program performance. The 16 Mb and 32 Mb array results are best to-date for nanocrystal memories and suggest a robust, reliable array operation.

An Embedded Silicon-Carbon S/D Stressor CMOS Integration on SOI with Enhanced Carbon Incorporation by Laser Spike Annealing

We report a CMOS-compatible embedded silicon-carbon (eSiC) source/drain stressor technology with NMOS performance enhancement. The integration includes up to 2.6% substitutional carbon (Csub) epitaxial Si:C and laser spike annealing (LSA) for increased Csub incorporation. 26% channel resistance (Rch) reduction and 11% Idlin-Ioff enhancement for 0.5% Csub and 60% Rch reduction for 2.2% Csub are demonstrated.

Optimization of Dual-ESL Stressor Geometry Effects for High Performance 65nm SOI Transistors

We report on the optimized transverse and lateral boundaries of dual etch stop layer (dESL) stressors in both PMOS and NMOS achieved in 65nm SOI transistors. We demonstrate that this gives an additional ~20% performance gain in ring oscillators. The optimization takes into account the 1-D and 2-D geometry effects, including poly-pitch, and is in good agreement with stress simulations

Stress Sensitivity of PMOSFET Under High Mechanical Stress

Using PMOSFETs with a range of built-in process induced stress and four-point bending characterization, we present evidence that the stress response of PMOSFETs increases with channel stress. A novel method incorporating the characterization data with channel stress simulation has been developed which shows excellent agreement between our prediction and measured transistor performance data for nitride etch stop layer splits. Our analysis indicates that PMOSFETs will continue to show increasingly effective performance enhancement at higher channel stress