CHARACTERIZATION OF YSZ FILMS BY MEANS OF C-V MEASUREMENTS AND TEM OBSERVATIONS

The capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of metal-insulator-semic onductor (MIS) capacitors with an insulating layer of yttria-stabilize d zirconia always show drift and hysteresis as a consequence of the me asurement procedure. A new measurement method allows one to lock the C -V hysteresis loop around a voltage value independent of the time and of the voltage measurement range. This tracking method is based on an initial measurement of the shift of the C-V plots for both p- and n-ty pe substrates. The method has been used to characterize the electrical properties of MIS capacitors with stabilized zirconia as a dielectric layer. Transmission electron microscopy observations of the structure of zirconia films and YSZ/Si interfaces are also presented.