Wl. Warren et al., ELECTRON-PARAMAGNETIC-RESONANCE INVESTIGATION OF CHARGE TRAPPING CENTERS IN AMORPHOUS-SILICON NITRIDE FILMS, Journal of applied physics, 74(6), 1993, pp. 4034-4046
We have explored the nature of the silicon dangling-bond center in amo
rphous hydrogenated silicon nitride (a-SiN(x):H) thin films, and its r
elationship to the charge trapping centers using electron paramagnetic
resonance (EPR) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. We have i
nvestigated the quantitative relationship between the concentration of
silicon dangling bonds using EPR and the concentration of charge trap
s, measured by C-V measurements, for both UV-illuminated and unillumin
ated a-SiN(x):H thin films subjected to both electron and hole injecti
on sequences. A theoretical framework for our results is also discusse
d. These results continue to support a model in which the Si dangling
bond is a negative-U defect in silicon nitride, and that a change in c
harge state of preexisting positively and negatively charged Si sites
is responsible for the trapping phenomena observed in these thin film
dielectrics.