Hydrogen model for radiation-induced interface states in SiO2-on-Si Structures: A review of the evidence

A brief review is given of the evidence supporting the “hydrogen model” of interface trap generation in silicon-based MOS structures. Emphasis is placed on the importance of electron spin resonance (ESR) in identifying and quantifying certain crucial defect species, including atomic hydrogen, self-trapped holes, and the interface trap itself — thePb center. Three types of experiments are considered: (1) low-temperature irradiation and isochronal anneals, (2) pulse radiolysis at room temperature, and (3) exposure of previously-irradiated devices to hydrogen gas. These disparate types of data are all reasonably accounted for by a unified model involving the production of H+ and/or H0 species in the oxide which subsequently drift to the interface where they react with hydrogen-passivated dangling bonds to formPb centers.

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