Abstract
We report a triggering voltage V-trig for observing gate leakage current (I-g) random telegraph noise (RTN) in the post-breakdown regime of HfLaO dielectric metal gate stacks. V-trig, the onset voltage to observe RTN in degraded dielectrics, is highly dependent on breakdown hardness, which is controlled by the leakage current compliance (I-gl). This dependence is qualitatively analyzed using a percolation dilation model, where generation of additional traps either at different energy levels or spatial locations gives lower V-trig at higher I-gl. The magnitude of V-trig can be used as a direct indication of the impact of RTN on the performance of the transistor at device level, when V-trig is evaluated by comparing with the device operating voltage. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3676255]