Individual defects at the Si:SiO₂interface

Abstract

In micron-sized MOSFETS, the alternate capture and emission of carriers at individual Si-SiO2 interface defects generates discrete switching in the source-drain resistance. The resistance changes are observed in the drain current as random telegraph signals, or as stepped transients after a strong perturbation of the trap occupation. The study of individual defects in MOSFETS has provided a powerful means of investigating the capture and emission kinetics of interface traps, has demonstrated the defect origins of low-frequency (1/f) noise in MOSFETS, and has provided new insight into the nature of defects at the Si:SiO2 interface.