The authors combine metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gated diode measurements and very sensitive electrically detected electron spin resonance measurements to detect and identify negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) generated defect centers in fully processed HfO₂ pMOS field effect... (Read more)

Electron spin resonance analysis of (100)Si/LaAlO₃ structures reveals the absence of a Si/SiO₂-type interface in terms of archetypal Si-dangling bond-type Si/SiO₂ interface defects (P_b0,P_b1). With no... (Read more)

The influence of Hf-based dielectrics on the underlying SiO₂ interfacial layer (IL) in high-k gate stacks is investigated. An increase in the IL dielectric constant, which correlates to an increase of the positive fixed charge density in the IL, is found to depend on the starting,... (Read more)

We utilize a very sensitive electron paramagnetic resonance technique called spin-dependent recombination to observe and identify defect centers generated by modest negative bias and moderately elevated temperatures in fully processed p-channel metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors.... (Read more)

Interface defects related to negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) in an ultrathin plasma-nitrided SiON/ Si<100> system were characterized by using conductance–frequency measurements, electron-spin resonance measure- ments, and synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was confirmed that NBTI is reduced by using D₂-annealing instead of the usual H₂-annealing. Interfacial Si dangling bonds (P_b1 and P_b0 centers) were detected in a sample subjected to negative-bias temperature stress (NBTS). Although we suggest that NBTS also generates non-Pb defects, it does not seem to generate nitrogen dangling bonds. These results show that NBTI of the plasma-nitrided SiON/Si system is predominantly due to P_b depassivation. Plasma nitridation was also found to increase the P_b1/P_b0 density ratio, modify the P_b1 defect structure, and increase the latent interface trap density by generating Si suboxides at the interface. These changes are likely to be the causes of NBTI in ultrathin plasma-nitrided SiON/Si systems. (Read more)

Interfacial defect structures of NO-nitride oxide on Si(100) were characterized by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. We confirmed that the effective g values of the P_b1 center are affected by interfacial nitridation even at a small nitrogen concentration of 5 at. %, while those of the P_b0 center proved to be unchanged. We observed that the shifted P_b1 line appeared gradually with interfacial nitrogen concentration, which suggests that the nitrogen-induced modified structure substitutes for the original P_b1 structure. Angular variations of the shifted P_b1 lines were also significantly different from those of pure oxide. Based on our analysis, we attributed the g value shift of the P_b1 center to dangling bond tilting, caused by the displacement of nearest-neighbor Si atoms. (Read more)

Interface defects generated by negative-bias temperature stress (NBTS) in an ultrathin plasma- nitrided SiON/Si(100) system were characterized by using D₂ annealing, conductance-frequency measurements, and electron-spin resonance measurements. D₂ annealing was shown to lower... (Read more)

We present an overview of negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) commonly observed in p-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors when stressed with negative gate voltages at elevated temperatures. We discuss the results of such stress on device and circuit... (Read more)

The electronic properties of the (100) Si/SiO₂ interfacial defect called P_b1 are quite controversial. We present electron spin resonance measurements that demonstrate: (1) that the P_b1 defects have levels in the silicon band gap, (2) that... (Read more)

Optical injection of electron-hole pairs in 3–5 nm thick layers of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂ and their stacks on (100)Si is found to result in positive oxide charging, suggesting trapping of holes. In thin layers of the high-permittivity metal oxides... (Read more)

We recently published a letter in which we utilized spin-dependent recombination (SDR) measurements to demonstrate that P_b1 centers, silicon dangling-bond defects at the (001) Si/SiO₂ interface, have electronic levels in the silicon band gap.¹ In their comment on our... (Read more)

The electronic properties of the (001) Si/SiO₂ P_b1 defect are the subject of considerable controversy. We present spin-dependent recombination results which indicate most strongly that the P_b1 centers have levels in the Si band gap. Our... (Read more)

We have previously concluded that the oxygen-precipitate-associated defects that we identified by the deep levels at E_v + 0.30 eV and E_c–0.25 eV were the P_b centers generated in the interface between the oxygen... (Read more)

Using a first-principles approach, we characterize dangling bond defects at Si-SiO₂ interfaces by calculating hyperfine parameters for several relaxed structures. Interface models, in which defect Si atoms remain close to crystalline sites of the substrate upon relaxation, successfully... (Read more)

Electron spin resonance (ESR) on thermal (100)Si/SiO₂ predominantly exhibiting either the P_b0 or P_b1 interface defect confirms the P_b1 point symmetry as monoclinic-I with g₁ = 2.0058,... (Read more)

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of Si/SiO₂ systems began over 30 years ago. Most EPR studies of Si/SiO₂ systems have dealt with two families of defects: P_b centers and E centers. Several variants from each group have... (Read more)

An optimized electron spin resonance study has resulted in the observation of the full angular dependence of the hyperfine interaction spectrum associated with the unpaired electron of the P_b1 point defect at the thermal (100)Si/SiO₂ interface, showing that the dominant... (Read more)

We have investigated the reaction of atomic hydrogen with defects at the (100) Si/SiO₂ interface. Similar to previous results on the (111) interface, we find that the two paramagnetic defects at the (100) interface, P_b0 and P_b1, are either passivated or produced by... (Read more)

The P_b-like dangling-orbit centers in luminescent porous silicon (LPSi) have been enhanced to very high concentration (10¹⁵ cm^–2) by gentle oxidation. High signal-to-noise ratio and very sharp lines enable the g-value maps, and... (Read more)

The defects in p⁺ porous silicon of low and high porosity have been studied by using electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and compared with an impurity analysis obtained from nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). The EPR measurements show, in both high- and low-porosity samples,... (Read more)

Hot electrons in the gate dielectric (SiO₂) of field effect transistors create defects at the Si/SiO₂ interface. Using electrically detected magnetic resonance, we have identified a major component of these interface defects as the well-known P_b0 center. We... (Read more)

The band-gap energy distribution of P_b centers on oxidized (100) Si wafers has been determined and compared with interface electrical trap density D_it. Two different P_b centers are observed on (100) Si: P_b0,... (Read more)

The observation of (111) Si/SiO₂ interface P_b0 defects (modeled as ⁰SiSi₃) with dangling bonds positioned along [11], [11], and [11] from low-temperature (T30 K) electron spin resonance measurements is reported. This is connected with... (Read more)

Electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments have been carried out at cryogenic temperatures (4.2 T 35 K) and room temperatures at 9.0 and 20.9 GHz on the Pb0 and Pb1 (commonly referred to as Pb) spin-active defects residing at the Si/SiO2 interface. The ESR lineshapes were shown to display gaussian... (Read more)

Interface states and electron spin resonance centers have been observed and compared in thermally oxidized (111) and (100) silicon wafers subjected to various processing treatments. The ESR P_b signal, previously assigned to interface ·SiSi₃ defects on (111)... (Read more)

The ESR P_b center has been observed in thermally oxidized single-crystal silicon wafers, and compared with oxide fixed charge Q_ss and oxidation-induced interface states N_st. The P_b center is found to be located... (Read more)