Generation of Electron Traps at High Field in Silicon Oxide Films

Temperature dependences of the high-field electron trapping in a SiO₂ thin film for temperature ranging from 100 to 423K are investigated. It is found that in the investigated temperature range, when the temperature decreases the effective surface density of the electron traps in the film decreases; the energy levels of the effective electron traps at high field concentrate at very narrow energy range. The thermal generation rate is found to be 1.283x10¹⁰/cm².K and its activation energy is 0.192eV. Based on these results, a model for the electron traps generated at high field in thin oxide is proposed.