Post-radiation-induced soft breakdown conduction properties as a function of temperature

Cester, A Paccagnella, A Sune, J Miranda, E

A. Cester et al., Post-radiation-induced soft breakdown conduction properties as a function of temperature, APPL PHYS L, 79(9), 2001, pp. 1336-1338

8

INGLESE

Article

Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS

0003-6951 → ACNP

79

9

2001

1336 - 1338

ISI

0003-6951(20010827)79:9<1336:PSBCPA>2.0.ZU;2-V

When a thin oxide is subjected to heavy ion irradiation, a large leakage cu rrent similar to the soft breakdown can be produced. In this work, we have studied the radiation soft breakdown (RSB) after 257 MeV Ag and I irradiati on by using a quantum point contact (QPC) model, which also applies to hard and soft breakdown produced by electrical stresses. We have also studied t he temperature dependence of RSB current from 98 K up to room temperature, and found that the gate current after irradiation is strongly reduced by de creasing temperature. It is shown that this behavior can be attributed to a temperature dependence of the carriers supplied from the cathode rather th an to a temperature-induced modification of the size and/or shape of the ox ide RSB paths. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.