Frequency-Modulated Charge Pumping of Single-Defects in MOSFETs with Ultra-Thin Gate Dielectrics

The detection of single defects has previously been achieved utilizing charge pumping (CP) measurements in sub-micron MOSFETs.^1,2 However, these prior efforts utilized MOSFETs with thick gate dielectrics, thereby reducing the effect of quantum tunneling currents through the gate oxide, which would obscure the CP response in devices with ultra-thin gate dielectrics. Frequency-modulated CP (FMCP) has been recently developed to overcome gate tunneling currents so that CP in ultra-scaled MOSFET devices may be achieved.³ This technique relies on the frequency independent and dependent nature of tunneling currents and the CP response, respectively. FMCP effectively and easily modulates the CP response such that gate tunneling currents are omitted. In this work, we extend FMCP to detect single traps in ultra-scaled sub-micron MOSFETs, thus extending single trap CP measurements to more modern MOSFET technologies. Our results suggest that single-trap FMCP could serve as a foundation for the development of novel quantum devices and quantum metrology.

¹G. V. Groeseneken et al., IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 43, 940-945 June (1996)

²N.S. Saks et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 1383 (1996)

³J. T. Ryan et al., IEEE Electron Device Letters, 1-1 (2013)