Microscopic Evaluation of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/p-Type Diamond (111) Interfaces Using Scanning Nonlinear Dielectric Microscopy

Abstract

Improvement of channel mobility is required to improve the performance of the inversion channel MOSFETs using diamond. The previous studies have suggested that high interface defect density (Dit) at the Al2O3/diamond (111) interface has a significant impact on the carrier transport property on a channel region. To investigate the physical origins of the high Dit, especially from microscopic point of view, here we investigate Al2O3/p-type diamond (111) interfaces using scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM). We find the high spatial fluctuations of Al2O3/hydroxyl (OH)-terminated diamond (111) interface properties and their difference by the flatness of the diamond surface.