EVIDENCE OF HOLE INJECTION AND TRAPPING IN SILICON NITRIDE FILMS PREPARED BY REACTIVE SPUTTERING

Abstract

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.