Electronic traps and <i>P</i> <i>b</i> centers at the Si/SiO2 interface: Band-gap energy distribution

Abstract

Energy distribution of Pb centers (⋅Si≡Si3) and electronic traps (Dit) at the Si/SiO2 interface in metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) structures was examined by electric-field-controlled electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) analysis on the same samples. Chips of (111)-oriented silicon were dry-oxidized for maximum Pb and trap density, and metallized with a large MOS capacitor for EPR and adjacent small dots for C-V measurements. Analysis of C-V data shows two Dit peaks of amplitude 2×1013 eV−1 cm−2 at Ev+0.26 eV and Ev+0.84 eV. The EPR spin density reflects addition or subtraction of an electron from the singly occupied paramagnetic state and shows transitions of amplitude 1.5×1013 eV−1 cm−2 at Ev+0.31 eV and Ev+0.80 eV. This correlation of electrical and EPR responses and their identical chemical and physical behavior are strong evidence that ⋅Si≡Si3 is a major source of interface electronic traps in the 0.15–0.95 eV region of the Si band gap in unpassivated material.