Characterization of the silicon dioxide-silicon interface with the scanning capacitance microscope

Published

July 1, 2006

Author(s)

Joseph Kopanski, W. R. Thurber, Melissa Chun

Abstract

The scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) was used to characterize the capacitance-voltage (C-V) properties of silicon dioxide (SiO2) on silicon (Si). The operational mechanism of the SCM and its potential for non-destructive, contactless characterization of dielectric films on semiconductors are described. Theoretical predictions are made of SCM-measured differential capacitance versus dc bias voltage ( Δ}C-V) curves for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with various levels of fixed and interface traps. To better understand SCM (contactless) Δ}C-V measurements, a study was conducted using the SCM to measure the Δ}C-V properties of MOS capacitors with deposited metal contacts with areas ranging from 1 υm2 to 40000 υm2. As an example application, SCM measurements of the Δ}C-V properties of low-temperature ozone-enhanced oxides on silicon are presented. Ozone-enhanced oxides with thicknesses greater than 3 nm were found to produce MOS like Δ}CΔ}V curves with interface trap densities sufficiently low to be useful for samples for dopant profile extraction.

Citation

Interfaces in Electronic Materials

Publisher Info

Electrochemical Society, Pennington, NJ

Pub Type

Books

Keywords

C-V, Capacitance-voltage characterization, interface traps, oxide fixed charge, oxide quality, ozone-enhanced oxidation, scanning capacitance microscope, SCM

Citation

Kopanski, J. , Thurber, W. and Chun, M. (2006), Characterization of the silicon dioxide-silicon interface with the scanning capacitance microscope, Electrochemical Society, Pennington, NJ (Accessed October 15, 2025)