- Microelectron... - Oxides, Oxides, And More Oxides

layers became so thin (under 20 Å) that electrons began "tunneling" through them, causing massive power leaks.

was the gold standard for gate insulators because it forms a nearly perfect, stable interface with silicon. Oxides, oxides, and more oxides - Microelectron...

The oxide layer prevents DC current from flowing into the gate, which drastically reduces power consumption in MOSFETs. 2. High-K Dielectrics: Breaking the Scaling Wall As transistors shrank, SiO2cap S i cap O sub 2 layers became so thin (under 20 Å) that