Publications Details
Stability of trapped electrons in SiO2
Thermally stimulated current and capacitance voltage methods are used to investigate the thermal stability of trapped electrons associated with radiation-induced trapped positive charge in metaloxide-semiconductor capacitors. The density of deeply trapped electrons in radiation-hardened 45 nm oxides exceeds that of shallow electrons by a factor of ∼3 after radiation exposure, and by up to a factor of 10 or more during biased annealing. Shallow electron traps anneal faster than deep traps, and exhibit response that is qualitatively consistent with existing models of compensated E′γ centers in SiO2. Deeper traps may be part of a different dipole complex, and/or have shifted energy levels that inhibit charge exchange with the Si. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.