Electrical Characterization of FEOL Bridge Defects in Advanced Nanoscale Devices Using TCAD Simulations

Abstract

In this work, we present the electrical characterization of various Front-End-Of-Line (FEOL) bridge defects location using Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) based simulation. The electrical characteristics obtained from simulation is useful in identifying the possible locations of the bridge defects. The simulation result correlates well with nano-probing result collected on actual failing devices. Furthermore, simulation of potential defects provides a quick way of understanding how the defect may influence the electrical behavior of transistors.