Growth of high-k silicon oxynitride thin films by means of a pulsed laser deposition-atomic nitrogen plasma source hybrid system for gate dielectric applications J. Appl. Phys. 94, 5969 (2003); 10.1063/1.1616636Dielectric properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide thin films grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Dielectric breakdown is studied in silicon oxynitride thin films varying in composition from SiN1.33 to SiO0.60N0.93. The films are observed to exhibit Poole–Frenkel emission as the dominant charge transport mechanism, with a compositionally dependent ionization potential ranging from 1.22 to 1.51 eV. The barrier lowering energy at the point of dielectric breakdown is independently determined to be likewise compositionally dependent, with the energies correlated to within ∼2kT of the ionization potential. Field saturation-induced trap ionization is discussed as a means to negate carrier scattering from bulk traps as an impediment to impact ionization and dielectric breakdown.

Poole–Frenkel emission in Si-rich nitride and silicon oxynitride thin films is studied in conjunction with compositional aspects of their elastic properties. For Si-rich nitrides varying in composition from SiN1.33 to SiN0.54, the Poole–Frenkel trap depth (ΦB) decreases from 1.08 to 0.52 eV as the intrinsic film strain (εi) decreases from 0.0036 to −0.0016. For oxynitrides varying in composition from SiN1.33 to SiO1.49N0.35, ΦB increases from 1.08 to 1.53 eV as εi decreases from 0.0036 to 0.0006. In both material systems, a direct correlation is observed between ΦB and εi. Compositionally induced strain relief as a mechanism for regulating ΦB is discussed.

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