Journal of The Electrochemical Society · 1998 · 42 citations · 0 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringMaterials ScienceElectronic MaterialsSemiconductor DevicesSemiconductor MaterialsDefects In Electronic MaterialsDevice CharacterizationNoiseNoise In Electronic DevicesNoise In Semiconductor DevicesSemiconductor DefectsDefect CentersDevice Noise CharacterizationGeneration-recombination NoiseNoise CharacterizationNoise SourcesNoise Sources In Semiconductor MaterialsSemiconductor Device CharacterizationSemiconductor Noise
Low‑frequency noise is presented as a promising diagnostic tool for characterizing semiconductor materials and devices. The review introduces various noise sources—particularly 1/f, random telegraph signal, and generation‑recombination noise—to explain how their spectral signatures reveal material and interface properties. Case studies on MOS and bipolar devices illustrate how bulk and interface defect physics manifest in noise, highlighting the method’s strengths and limitations relative to other spectroscopic techniques and suggesting future electronic‑device applications.
The potential of using low‐frequency noise as a diagnostic tool for semiconductor material and device characterization is reviewed. First a brief introduction is given related to the different noise sources in order to obtain insight into the spectral information present in their response signal. Special attention is given to 1/f noise, random telegraph signal noise, and generation‐recombination noise. The physics associated with the noise properties of bulk and interface defect centers is investigated and illustrated by some case studies for both metal oxide semiconductor and bipolar devices. Advantages and disadvantages compared to other spectroscopic techniques are addressed in view of future trends in electronic devices.