RELAXATION OF THE SPACE-CHARGE CREATED BY FOWLER-NORDHEIM INJECTIONS IN METAL-OXIDE-SEMICONDUCTOR CAPACITORS

A procedure to identify the different components of the oxide space ch arge created during a Fowler-Nordheim electron injection in metal-oxid e-semiconductor capacitors is presented. This procedure is very simple and based on the study of the space-charge relaxation behavior depend ing on the conditions of polarization and temperature. A model, based on slow states, trapped holes, and fixed charges, is proposed to expla in the reversible and irreversible behaviors observed. Their effective numbers per unit area can be evaluated. This procedure is used to com pare the influence of different processes on the oxide resistance to e lectron injections. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.