| Since the invention of the integrated circuit, scaling of device dimensions has proceeded so aggressively that problems of hot-carrier induced degradation and short channel effects have surfaced. In this regard, Silicon on Insulator has been proposed as an alternative to bulk silicon, with excellent short-channel properties and processing simplicity, for the fabrication of integrated circuits. However, the hot-carrier properties of SOI have not received enough attention and several controversial and unexplained results have recently surfaced in literature.; This work studies the unique hot carrier properties of Silicon on Insulator. The presence of two Si-SiO{dollar}sb2{dollar} interfaces, not only provides unique hot carrier behaviour of SOI but also makes the characterization and interpretation of experimental data complicated. This is further exacerbated by the complex submicron device structures of today. However, the unique hot-carrier properties, when properly exploited, can be used as characterization tools for oxide damage as well as novel device structures.; Understanding the unique behavior of hot-carriers in SOI is only possible through extensive numerical simulations. Both process as well as device simulations have been carried out to understand the basic physical mechanisms behind these behaviors. Also the effect of device structural and process parameter variations on the hot-carrier behaviour is studied.; A technique is developed, exploiting the opposite channel based carrier injection phenomenon, to inject pure electrons and holes into the gate oxide. Combined with charge pumping, this is used as a method to characterize the kinetics and mechanisms of oxide degradation under various modes of hot-carrier injections.; Device parameter degradation of fully depleted (FD) SOI MOSFETs is studied and an analytical approach has been developed to explain and model the unique degradation behaviour of FD SOI that arises from coupling of the interfaces. Time dependences of these degradations are also examined.; Exploiting the opposite channel based injection technique, a novel EEPROM cell on SOI is developed that used back channel based hole injection to erase information. Process and device simulations are performed to demonstrate that this cell has erasing performance several orders of magnitude better than currently available EEPROMs. |
