Abstract
Contact and gate silicide migration induced by gate dielectric breakdown transient has been observed in various silicide materials, including Ni, Co, and Ti silicides, used across several generations of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) process technology nodes with different device geometries, gate dielectric materials, and stress conditions. This failure mechanism occurs during gate dielectric breakdown transient on both anode and cathode sides and on both
n
- and
p
-MOSFETs. The wear-out mechanisms are discussed and believed to be responsible for the instability and transformation observed.