Electrical properties of semiconductor surfaces

Fowler–Nordheim conduction in polysilicon (n+)-oxide–silicon (p) structures: Limit of the classical treatment in the barrier height determination

“…There are few experimental results 13,14,23 concerning direct measurement of the electron affinity difference ⌽ at the Si/SiO 2 interface. The amount of ⌽ plays an important role in the tunneling conduction mechanisms.…”

“…Several attempts have been made to determine it from current-voltage (I -V) characteristics. [9][10][11][12][13] More recently, it has become possible to deduce other device parameters such as the SiO 2 conduction-band effective mass [14][15][16][17] or the gate-oxide thickness, [18][19][20][21][22] from I -V measurements.…”

“…Although several studies have been performed to understandthe evolution of the Si/SiO 2 barrier height with the gateoxide thickness reduction, [9][10][11][12][13][14] reliable determination of the electron barrier height in the case of ultrathin SiO 2 films remains an unresolved issue. 23 When some authors came to the conclusion that the barrier height varies with t ox , 13 others concluded that the barrier height at the Si/SiO 2 interface keeps a constant value even for t ox Ͻ5 nm.…”

Computer simulation study of the effect of semiconductor deep bulk levels on the capacitance-voltage characteristics of InSb MIS structures

“…In fact surface space charge layers that are major parts of semiconductor devices and their electrical characteristics are most of all influenced by the existence of levels lying deep in the band-gap in semiconductor bulk. Study of this influence is a problem of prime importance [1,2]. In this field of investigation the attainments are little yet, especially with respect to structures and devices based on A3 B5 semiconductors since the deep levels have rather complex character there and are still poorly understood. In InSb variety of deep levels are observed and investigated [3][4][5].…”