Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Silicon Nitride Research Articles

Characterization of light induced degradation in PECVD silicon nitride passivated Cz silicon wafers using spectroscopic techniques

In this work we investigate the chemical species involved in the light induced degradation of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNx:H) passivated p-type and n-type samples under normal outdoor ambient conditions. The electrical characterization measurements along with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic techniques were utilized in this study. Significant reduction in effective minority carrier lifetime values and band to band PL intensities were noticed for both p-type and n-type samples after outdoor light soaking. The apparent defect density increased from 3.39 × 10−3 µs−1 to 1.68 × 10−2 µs−1 and 3.42 × 10−4 µs−1 to 3.46 × 10−3 µs−1, respectively for p-type and n-type samples after light soaking of 111 h corresponding to cumulative solar insolation of 95.7 kWh/m2. The changes in FTIR absorbance intensities of chemical species such as SiNyHa, SiNzHb, SiHm, SiO2i and SiOn after light soaking confirmed the role of oxygen in addition to hydrogen in both p-type and n-type samples. Spectroscopic PL analysis further validated the decrease in concentration of silicon-oxygen species and reduction in effective lifetime for n-type samples. We demonstrate that the chemical species contributing to light induced bulk and surface degradation can be identified by FTIR and PL spectroscopic techniques. This work would be beneficial for understanding, modeling and mitigating the degradation mechanisms in Cz silicon wafers passivated using PECVD dielectric films.

Nitrogen rich PECVD silicon nitride for passivation of Si and AlGaN/GaN HEMT devices

In this work, we have investigated the material properties of PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) amorphous Silicon nitride (SiN) films and the influence of deposition conditions on gate-leakage increase of AlGaN/GaN HEMT’s (High Electron Mobility Transistor) after passivation. We have studied the effect of gas flow ratio (SiH4/NH3) on the structural and compositional properties of SiNx deposited on crystalline Silicon (Si). Based on the inference, electrical properties of the SiNx films were examined by depositing on AlGaN/GaN HEMT as a passivation layer. The optimized SiNx which is N-rich with a refractive index of 1.83, tensile stress of 681 MPa and NH3/SiH4 ratio of 18 shows only a 1.2x variation in gate leakage, 1.4x increase in gm, minimum left shift of 0.03 V in Vth and 1.26x increase Ion/Ioff ratio after passivation. We believe that the 3x reduction in Si-H bonds resulting in reduced interface traps at SiN/AlGaN interface is the reason for the minimal increase in gate leakage after passivation.

Low loss CMOS-compatible silicon nitride photonics utilizing reactive sputtered thin films.

Low temperature deposition of low loss silicon nitride (SiN) thin-films is very attractive as it opens opportunities for realization of multi-layer photonic chips and hybrid integration of optical waveguides with temperature sensitive platforms such as processed CMOS silicon electronics or lithium niobate on insulator. So far, the most common low-temperature deposition technique for SiN is plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), however such SiN thin-films can suffer from significant losses at C-band wavelengths due to unwanted hydrogen bonds. In this contribution we present a back end of line (< 400°C), low loss SiN platform based on reactive sputtering for telecommunication applications. Waveguide losses of 0.8 dB/cm at 1550 nm and as low as 0.6 dB/cm at 1580 nm have been achieved for moderate confined waveguides which appear to be limited by patterning rather than material. These findings show that reactive sputtered SiN thin-films can have lower optical losses compared to PECVD SiN thin-films, and thus show promise for future hybrid integration platforms for applications such as high Q resonators, optical filters and delay lines for optical signal processing.

Development of MEMS MOS gas sensors with CMOS compatible PECVD inter-metal passivation

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) based micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS) for gas measurement were developed using back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible inter-metal dielectric films deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD). As MOS MEMS require sintering above 600°C, a set of PECVD silicon oxide and nitride films was characterized before and after annealing up to 700°C, in order to identify the best candidate inter-metal dielectric materials. The effect of thermal load on the films was determined by measuring stress, thickness and refractive index after annealing both in dry air and nitrogen atmosphere. Nano-indentation was used to estimate the elastic modulus after annealing. The best performing films were employed as inter-metal dielectric in the full fabrication of microheater MEMS gas sensors. Among the selected films, only silicon oxide deposited with high frequency plasma generator allowed for the complete gas sensor fabrication with no damage. SnO2 paste was successfully screen printed on the fabricated membranes and sintered to enable gas sensing. Electrical and gas sensing tests were performed with the fabricated microheaters, demonstrating full functionality. Thermal stress endurance tests were also conducted, with no membrane deformation after more than 500,000 duty cycles. Results show that the proposed PECVD passivation is compliant up to 650°C firing temperature and 450°C operating temperature, and demonstrate the use of CMOS-BEOL PECVD inter-metal passivation for MOS MEMS gas sensor fabrication.

Material Structure and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Oxynitride Thin Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride thin films are widely used in microelectronic fabrication and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Their mechanical properties are important for MEMS structures; however, these properties are rarely reported, particularly the fracture toughness of these films. In this study, silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride thin films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) under different silane flow rates. The silicon nitride films consisted of mixed amorphous and crystalline Si3N4 phases under the range of silane flow rates investigated in the current study, while the crystallinity increased with silane flow rate in the silicon oxynitride films. The Young’s modulus and hardness of silicon nitride films decreased with increasing silane flow rate. However, for silicon oxynitride films, Young’s modulus decreased slightly with increasing silane flow rate, and the hardness increased considerably due to the formation of a crystalline silicon nitride phase at the high flow rate. Overall, the hardness, Young modulus, and fracture toughness of the silicon nitride films were greater than the ones of silicon oxynitride films, and the main reason lies with the phase composition: the SiNx films were composed of a crystalline Si3N4 phase, while the SiOxNy films were dominated by amorphous Si–O phases. Based on the overall mechanical properties, PECVD silicon nitride films are preferred for structural applications in MEMS devices.

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor-deposited SiN and liquid-phase-deposited SiO2 stack double-layer anti-reflection films for multi-crystalline solar cells

We successfully fabricated a double-layer anti-reflection film for multi-crystalline silicon solar cells through liquid-phase deposition to deposit silicon dioxide (SiO2) film on a multi-crystalline silicon surface and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to deposit silicon nitride (SiN) film on a SiO2 film surface. The SiO2 film thicknesses were 10, 15, and 20 nm, and the SiN film thickness was 60 nm. The reflectance of the substrate markedly decreased as the double-layer film was deposited. Moreover, with different film thicknesses, the minimal values of the reflectance were 4.91%, 2.75%, and 2.83% at the wavelengths of 609, 597, and 634 nm. The average reflection reached 6.92% when the thicknesses of SiO2 and SiN films were 20 and 60 nm in the wavelength range of 400–1100 nm. The minority carrier lifetimes of the multi-crystalline silicon substrates were 7.44, 7.21, and 7.27 μs at different film thicknesses. The short circuit current density and efficiency of the solar cell reached 34.52 mA/cm2 and 16.56% when the thicknesses of the SiO2 and SiN films were 20 and 60 nm, respectively. Low reflectance and good cell performance indicated that the double-layer film composed of SiO2 and SiN films were suitable for multi-crystalline silicon solar cells as the anti-reflection film.

A comparison study of boron emitter passivation by silicon oxide and a PECVD silicon nitride stack

Surface recombination of minority charge carriers is a significant loss mechanism in crystalline-Si (c-Si) solar cells. For n+ (phosphorous) doped regions a sufficient surface passivation is achieved by using a silicon nitride (SiNX) film deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). However, on p+ boron doped regions, SiNX does not passivate the surface. Instead, a stack of layers comprising of a thin silicon dioxide (SiO2), or aluminium oxide (Al2O3), and a SiNX film is commonly used to passivate boron doped regions.In this study we investigated the passivation quality of boron doped emitters by varying the composition of SiO2/SiNX stack layers. For this purpose, n-PERT (passivated emitter, rear totally-diffused) solar cells with boron doped front side emitter and phosphorous doped back-surface-field (BSF), as well as symmetrical boron doped structures, were fabricated on 6-inch n-type wafers.The results show that the optimum passivation is achieved by a stack layer of a thermal SiO2, with a thickness of at least 10 nm, and a SiNX layer with a low refractive index. The chemical composition of SiNX capping layer plays an important role for surface passivation. A more Si-rich SiNX layer show significant degradation in surface passivation of the stack, due to the increase in the density of interface states (Dit) and fixed positive charges (Qtot) at the interface.

Gettering of interstitial iron in silicon by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride films

It is known that the interstitial iron concentration in silicon is reduced after annealing silicon wafers coated with plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride films. The underlying mechanism for the significant iron reduction has remained unclear and is investigated in this work. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling of iron is performed on annealed iron-contaminated single-crystalline silicon wafers passivated with PECVD silicon nitride films. SIMS measurements reveal a high concentration of iron uniformly distributed in the annealed silicon nitride films. This accumulation of iron in the silicon nitride film matches the interstitial iron loss in the silicon bulk. This finding conclusively shows that the interstitial iron is gettered by the silicon nitride films during annealing over a wide temperature range from 250 °C to 900 °C, via a segregation gettering effect. Further experimental evidence is presented to support this finding. Deep-level transient spectroscopy analysis shows that no new electrically active defects are formed in the silicon bulk after annealing iron-containing silicon with silicon nitride films, confirming that the interstitial iron loss is not due to a change in the chemical structure of iron related defects in the silicon bulk. In addition, once the annealed silicon nitride films are removed, subsequent high temperature processes do not result in any reappearance of iron. Finally, the experimentally measured iron decay kinetics are shown to agree with a model of iron diffusion to the surface gettering sites, indicating a diffusion-limited iron gettering process for temperatures below 700 °C. The gettering process is found to become reaction-limited at higher temperatures.

Initial Transient Phenomena Impact on Plasma CVD of Ultrathin Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbon Nitride Dielectrics for Nano Devices Cu-Low k Interconnects

The initial transient (ITS) phenomena in plasma enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) process was identified in early 1980’s (1). This ITS phenomenon has impact on the bonding structure and composition of plasma deposited silicon nitride (1) and amorphous silicon (2) films at the initial film-substrate interface. When the deposited film is in micron thickness, the ITS impact is generally smaller. The shrinking of semiconductor devices and the corresponding push to increase device density is continuing in the quest for improved performance of integrated circuits. Nano scale thickness low temperature plasma CVD dielectric films such as silicon nitride and silicon carbon nitride used as cap materials (3) for Cu interconnects that are expected to reach to sub-10 nm dimension next few years. The compositional variation in PECVD films at the interface by ITS which had a relatively small impact in past semiconductor technologies is becoming a significant factor in film’s properties as we scale film thickness down to sub-10nm. In this paper, we will present in detail the impact of the initial transient plasma in CVD process on the ultrathin nano thick cap and-low k dielectric films that are being used for advanced device interconnect fabrication, We will show that we can modify the current standard PECVD process to alleviate the impact of ITS phenomena. Some ITS impact on nano thick film are: a) PECVD silicon nitride / silicon carbon nitride dielectric cap films are normally deposited with a mixture of silane/ammonia or other carbosilane/ammonia precursors. The initial breakdown of silane is strongly affected by the plasma conditions and the dissociation thermodynamic of the precursors. Deposition rates can be different on Cu versus dielectric surfaces due differences in charging effects (see Figure 1). Additionally, the silane molecule is relatively unstable and more reactive as compared to ammonia, and typically dissociate rapidly first to form more conformal SiHx deposition radicals before the plasma reaches a steady state. Subsequently, PECVD with SiH4/NH3 precursors will normally produce a Si-rich silicon nitride composition at the interface. Silicon carbon nitride films can be deposited from more stable carbosilane precursors. In this case, the thickness of the Si-rich interface zone can be reduced, and a C-rich film surface may be deposited under specific deposition condition. This modulation may be exploited to control electrical (k, breakdown/leakage) and adhesion properties of the film for Cu low k interconnect structures. For a very thin dielectric cap deposited on a patterned structure of Cu and ultra-low k dielectric, the film thickness deposited on Cu versus the dielectric surface will be slightly different due to the differential local plasma charging effect during initial transient deposition period as shown in fig 1. This deposition rate difference will impact the film’s barrier and electrical properties, gap fill performance and subsequent in Cu-low k fabrication. In this case, plasma ITS charging is the principle mechanism that cause differences in film’s thickness. b) For typical PECVD SiN deposition process, the initial dissociation of SiH4 and/or NH3 will create reactive species that subsequently etch the deposited ultra-low k pSiCOH dielectric surface. These reactive species can produce substantial damage to pSiCOH, increase dielectric constant and subsequently poor reliability in final electronic devices. This damage can be reduced significantly by using an initially low rf plasma power and then increasing to a higher rf plasma power for the remainder of the deposition (4). ITS negative impact to devices and mitigation method will be discussed. c) For ultrathin cap films for Cu interconnects, such as SiN, variations in film composition at the interface will cause significant variation in electrical properties and conformality. To mitigate the ITS effect, a cyclic, multi-step deposition process utilizing plasma surface treatment was developed. A multilayers film with better conformality and consistent film’s properties was achieved. Using this novel cyclic process, high quality dielectrics SiN and SiNO at sub-10 nm thickness can be deposited consistently and reproducibly for Cu-low k interconnect fabrication as showed in Figure 2. In summary, the ITS phenomena on plasma CVD, its impact in nano thick film fabrication and methods to mitigate the ITS’s negative impact will be presented in the paper.

Design, analysis, and characterization of stress-engineered 3D microstructures comprised of PECVD silicon oxide and nitride

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are typically 2D or quasi-3D structures fabricated using surface and bulk micromachining processes. In this work, an approach for 3D structure fabrication based on stress engineering is demonstrated. Specifically, sub-mm 3D spherical cage-like structures are realized through the deformation of bilayers of residually-stressed silicon oxide and silicon nitride with micrometer-scale thicknesses. Analytical and finite models to predict the shape of stress-engineered structures based on geometry and residual stress are described and used for structure design. A systematic experimental study was performed to quantify residual stresses in silicon nitride films made by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The measurements show that the residual stress of PECVD silicon nitride can be tuned over a wide range of tensile stresses through the control of deposition parameters, such as flow rate and power. Stress engineered 3D cage-like structures comprised of PECVD silicon nitride and oxide films were fabricated. 3D structures with a range of curvatures were demonstrated. The measured geometry of the fabricated structures are in good agreement with predictions from analytical and finite element models.

Thin-Film Multichip Packaging for High-Temperature Geothermal Application

A thin-film multichip module substrate technology has been developed and evaluated for packaging high-temperature (300 °C) geothermal well instrumentation. The base substrate technology selected was AlN to minimize the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the substrate and the SiC digital die. The conductor was vacuum deposited Ti/Ti:W/Au followed by an electroplated Au. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor-deposited silicon nitride was used for the interlayer dielectric. The substrate was characterized as a function of temperature and after aging at 300 °C. The electrical properties and adhesion remained stable after 2000 h at 300 °C.

Passivation of c-Si surfaces by ALD tantalum oxide capped with PECVD silicon nitride

We demonstrate effective passivation of a variety of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited (ALD) tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) underneath a capping silicon nitride (SiNx) layer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD). Surface recombination is investigated as a function of Ta2O5 thickness for p- and n-type Si substrates, both with and without boron (p+) or phosphorus (n+) diffusions. It is found that the recombination decreases markedly with increasing Ta2O5 thickness on p, n and p+ c-Si surfaces, but it follows an opposite trend on n+ c-Si surfaces. In all four cases, the surface recombination velocity plateaus at a Ta2O5 thickness of 12nm. The thermal stability of surface passivation by Ta2O5/SiNx is examined by subjecting p+ and n+ diffused wafers to a typical solar cell metallization firing process, finding that it is essentially stable on p+ diffusions, but not on n+ ones, regardless of Ta2O5 thickness. We also evaluate the passivating properties of the Ta2O5/SiNx stack on planar {100}, planar {111}, and textured n-type undiffused silicon surfaces, finding that (i) planar {111} Si exhibits a 4.6-fold higher recombination than planar {100} Si, and (ii) recombination at a textured surface is approximately equivalent to that at a planar {111} after surface area correction. Furthermore, the area-corrected recombination ratio of textured to planar {100} boron diffused p+ regions is shown to be 2.2 for three different diffusions with sheet resistances at 56, 122, and 214Ω/sq. Finally, optical simulation reveals a low reflection and negligible absorption loss for the Ta2O5/SiNx stack. The Ta2O5/SiNx stack is thus demonstrated to be an excellent surface passivation and antireflection coating for high efficiency silicon solar cells.

Properties of atomic layer deposited dielectrics for AlGaN/GaN device passivation

In order to minimize ac–dc dispersion, reduce gate leakage and maximize ac transconductance, there is a critical need to identify optimal interfaces, low-k passivation dielectrics and high-k gate dielectrics. In this paper, an investigation of different atomic layer deposited (ALD) passivation dielectrics on AlGaN/GaN-based hetero-junction field effect transistors (HFETs) was performed. Angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that HCl/HF and NH4OH cleans resulted in a reduction of native oxide and carbon levels at the GaN surface. The role of high temperature anneals, following the ALD, on the effectiveness of passivation was also explored. Gate-lag measurements on HFETs passivated with a thin ALD high-k Al2O3 or HfAlO layer capped with a thick plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) low-k SiO2 layer, annealed at 600–700 °C, were found to be as good as or even better than those with conventional PECVD silicon nitride passivation. Further, it was observed that different passivation dielectric stacks required different anneal temperatures for improved gate-lag behavior compared to the as-deposited case.

The effect of Young's modulus of contact‐etch‐stop layer (CESL) stressor on the strained‐Si MOSFET

AbstractIn the analytic solution of residual stresses and bending in multi‐layer/substrate systems, Young's modulus of contact‐etch‐stop layer (CESL) stressor is a potential factor affecting the channel stress of complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) devices. To increase the level of Young's modulus of CESL stressor, the stress level of silicon channels could be boosted at a constant stress level and thickness of CESL as the result of stress simulation. Young's moduli of two widely adopted CESL stressors measured by a nanoindenter instrument, low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition silicon nitride (LP‐SiN) and plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition silicon nitride (PE‐SiN), were 375.7 and 224.7 GPa, respectively. As a result of stress stimulation, the channel stress induced by LPSiN CESL could increase 30% higher than that of PE‐SiN CESL. Through the use of a tensile 1 GPa CESL stressor for the 90 nm n‐FETs, an extra 4% enhancement in drive current ID,sat was obtained in the device with an LP‐SiN CESL as compared to that with PE‐SiN. The electrical data is in good agreement with the prediction of the stress simulation.

Characteristics of Low-Temperature(≤200 °) PECVD Silicon Nitride for Gate Dielectric of TFTs by Using N2 Highly Diluted SiH4

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Efficiency enhancement of silicon solar cells with silicon nanocrystals embedded in PECVD silicon nitride matrix

Anti reflection coatings (ARC), comprising of silicon-rich-nitride (SRN) films embedded with downconverting silicon nanocrystals were integrated into monocrystalline silicon solar cells fabricated using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques, and their effects were studied. Two types of ARC layers, one with single layer SRN film and other with double layer SiOx/SRN were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) during fabrication of silicon solar cells and thermally annealed to precipitate silicon nanocrystals. A relative increase in power conversion efficiency of 15.6% for single layer nanocrystals-embedded-ARC and 22.8% for double layer nanocrystals-embedded-ARC were observed compared to a reference cell.

Comparison of ICP-AlOx and ALD-Al2O3 Layers for the Rear Surface Passivation of C-Si Solar Cells

The deposition rate of the standard (i.e. sequential) atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is very low compared to the plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) process. Therefore, as a short- and medium-term perspective, PECVD aluminium oxide (AlOx) films might be better suited for the implementation into industrial-type solar cells than ALD-Al2O3 films. In this paper, we report results achieved with a newly developed PECVD deposition process for AlOx using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP). We compare the results to high-quality ALD-Al2O3 films. We examine a stack consisting of a thin AlOx passivation layer and a PECVD silicon nitride (SiNy) capping layer. Surface recombination velocities below 9 cm/s were measured on low-resistivity (1.4 Ωcm) p-type crystalline silicon wafers passivated either by ICP-PECVD-AlOx films or by ALD-Al2O3 films after annealing at 425̊C. Both passivation schemes provide an excellent thermal stability during firing at 910̊C with SRVs below 12 cm/s for both, Al2O3/SiNy stacks and single Al2O3 layers. A fixed negative charge of −4×1012 cm−2 is measured for ICP-AlOx and ALD-Al2O3, whereas the interface state density is higher for the ICP-AlOx layer with values of 11.0×1011 eV−1cm−2 compared to 1.3×1011 eV−1cm−2 for ALD-Al2O3. Implemented into large-area screen-printed PERC solar cells, an independently confirmed efficiency of 20.1% for ICP-AlOx and an efficiency of 19.6% for ALD-Al2O3 are achieved.

Determination of silicon nitride film chemical composition to study hydrogen desorption mechanisms

To go further in the comprehension of hydrogen desorption mechanisms from PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposited) silicon nitride, a method to determine the chemical composition of amorphous silicon nitride films using fast and non destructive characterization techniques has been developed. In particular, Si H, N H, Si Si and Si N bond concentrations are calculated from Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy, ellipsometry and mass measurement. Next, different PECVD silicon nitride films were annealed at 600 °C during 2 min. Results show that hydrogen desorption from PECVD silicon nitride depends on film mass density and main chemical reactions leading to hydrogen desorption are identified thanks to the determination of Si Si and Si N bond concentrations.

Capacitance–voltage characterization of silicon oxide and silicon nitride coatings as passivation layers for crystalline silicon solar cells and investigation of their stability against x-radiation

In this work capacitance–voltage measurements of three different dielectric layers, thermal silicon oxide, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon oxide, and PECVD silicon nitride, on p-type silicon have been performed in order to obtain characteristics as the energy distribution of the interface trap density and the density of fixed charges. Spatially resolved capacitance–voltage, ellipsometry and lifetime measurements revealed the homogeneity of layer and passivation properties and their interrelation. Additionally lifetime measurements were used to evaluate x-radiation induced defects emerged during electron beam evaporation for sample metallization.

Nanoscale characterization of the dielectric charging phenomenon in PECVD siliconnitride thin films with various interfacial structures based on Kelvin probe forcemicroscopy

This work presents a novel characterization methodology for the dielectric chargingphenomenon in electrostatically driven MEMS devices using Kelvin probe force microscopy(KPFM). It has been used to study plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)silicon nitride thin films in view of application in electrostatic capacitive RF MEMSswitches. The proposed technique takes the advantage of the atomic force microscope(AFM) tip to simulate charge injection through asperities, and then the induced surfacepotential is measured. The impact of bias amplitude, bias polarity, and bias durationemployed during charge injection has been explored. The influence of various parameters onthe charging/discharging processes has been investigated: dielectric film thickness,SiNx material deposition conditions, and under layers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) material characterization techniqueshave been used to determine the chemical bonds and compositions, respectively, of theSiNx films being investigated. The required samples for this technique consist only of thindielectric films deposited over planar substrates, and no photolithography steps arerequired. Therefore, the proposed methodology provides a low cost and quitefast solution compared to other available characterization techniques of actualMEMS switches. Finally, the comparison between the KPFM results and thedischarge current transients (DCT) measurements shows a quite good agreement.