Hydrogen-release mechanisms in the breakdown of thin SiO2 films

The mechanism of hydrogen release from the anode Si/SiO(2) interface that triggers defect generation and finally the dielectric breakdown of the oxide in metal-oxide-semiconductor structures is investigated. Extensive experimental charge-to-breakdown statistics are used to derive the defect generation efficiency as a function of gate voltage and oxide thickness in wide ranges. The presented results provide strong support to single-electron assisted Si-H bond breakage and discard multiple electron induced incoherent vibrational heating mechanisms.