Applied Physics Letters · 1967 · 67 citations · 1 references
EngineeringMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceElectronic MaterialsSemiconductor MaterialsThin FilmsCarrier TransportCurrent-voltage CharacteristicsSemiconductor Device MaterialsSemiconductor InterfacesSemiconductor PhysicsSilicon MaterialsBias Stress EffectsCarrier InjectionCarrier Transport In SemiconductorsCharge TrappingNitride Thin FilmsNitrides Thin FilmsSiliconSilicon Nitride
The hysteresis observed in capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements on metal-sputtered silicon nitride—silicon structures indicates that carriers are injected predominantly as holes rather than electrons. Shifts in the C-V characteristic after bias-temperature stress at 300°C support this finding. In dc conduction measurements on these samples a linear relation was found between the logarithm of current and the square root of field. The slope of this plot and the independence of current on bias polarity indicate a bulk-limited conduction mechanism of emission of carriers from traps in the silicon nitride.
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