Hydrogen migration under avalanche injection of electrons in Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors

Abstract

Aluminum/silicon dioxide/silicon capacitors in which the oxide has been grown thermally under ultra-dry (≲1 ppm H2O) conditions and subsequently treated by low temperature water diffusion have been characterized electrically and chemically. Avalanche injection of electrons has been observed to produce the complex charging behavior previously observed in similar systems, which includes electron trapping and interface positive charge generation. Secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling of these structures has shown that electron injection also results in hydrogen transport. This is the first direct observation of hydrogen redistribution under the influence of an electron current. We demonstrate a linear relationship between injected charge fluence and areal density of hydrogen localized at the SiO2/Si interface. These results indicate that hydrogen release correlates with interface state generation, but not with bulk oxide trapping.