SHORT-RANGE ORDER AND THE NATURE OF DEFECTS AND TRAPS IN AMORPHOUS-SILICON OXYNITRIDE GOVERNED BY THE MOTT RULE

Using valence band and Si 2p core level photoelectron spectroscopy, it is shown that the short range order in amorphous silicon oxynitride / a-SiOxNy) is governed by the Mott rule. According to this rule, each S i atom is coordinated by four O and/or N atoms, each O atom las in SiO 2) is coordinated by two Si atoms, and each N atom las in Si3N4) is co ordinated by three Si atoms. The nature of the removal of Si-Si bonds (hole trap) at the interface of SiO2/Si by nitridation and the origin of Si-Si bond creation near the top surface of gate oxynitride in meta l-oxide-semiconductor devices are understood for the first time by the Mott rule.