Abstract
Nitridation of the gate oxide is known to improve the radiation resistance of metal-oxide semiconductor devices on silicon. However, it has generally been found that high-temperature, long-time anneals are required to produce the hardest dielectrics. This paper reports results of 1-5 Mrad (Si) total dose radiation testing of thin gate oxides which have received relatively light nitridations, followed by a reoxidation step. These devices exhibit substantially reduced fixed charge and interface state buildup compared with oxide, and appear to be harder than the more heavily nitrided oxides previously reported. (Author)