Charge pumping current from single Si/SiO2 interface traps: Direct observation of Pb centers and fundamental trap-counting by the charge pumping method

Abstract

We made systematic measurements of the maximum charge pumping (CP) current (ICPMAX) from single Si/SiO2 interface traps, and observed for the first time that their current range is 0 < ICPMAX ≤ 2fq, where f is the gate pulse frequency, and q is the electron charge. This range is expected from the nature of the Pb0 centers. Although the conventional belief is that ICPMAX is given by fqN, where N is the total number of traps contributing to the CP current, we experimentally clarified that this belief is basically wrong. Based on the results and taking account of the interaction between traps in the capture/emission processes, we demonstrated fundamental trap-counting by the CP method.