Electrical and structural characterization of metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with silicon rich oxide

Metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors in which the gate oxide has been repla ced with a silicon rich oxide (SRO) film sandwiched between two thin SiO2 l ayers are presented and investigated by transmission electron microscopy an d electrical measurements. The grain size distribution and the amount of cr ystallized silicon remaining in SRO after annealing have been studied by tr ansmission electron microscopy, whereas the charge trapping and the charge transport through the dots in the SRO layer have been extensively investiga ted by electrical measurements. Furthermore, a model, which explains the el ectrical behavior of such SRO capacitors, is presented and discussed. (C) 2 001 American Institute of Physics.