Nanometer scale electrical characterization of thin dielectric films

This work is directed towards the use of electrical properties to characterize thin dielectric films on nm length scales. In particular, two technologically important systems have been studied: interface defects at the Si/SiO ₂ interface and the use of scanning capacitance microscopy to investigate lubricant films, primarily composed of fully bonded perfluoropolyethers, that are used to lubricate hard disk drive platters and show promise for use in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).; The first system is the charge trapping defect found at the interface between Si and thin silicon dioxide films grown on the Si. The goal of this work is to make both ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) and charge pumping measurements on the same device. This combination of techniques will allow us to make nm-scale measurements of interface state formation and hot-carrier transport within working metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET). We have shown that BEEM measurements can be made on metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors that have been subjected to standard semiconductor fabrication processes. While BEEM compatible MOSFETs have not yet been produced, an ongoing effort in collaboration with IMEC in Leuven, Belgium is progressing towards working, BEEM compatible MOSFETs.; The second system under study is the use of capacitance measurements to resolve sub-nm variations in the thickness of thin dielectric films with nm-scale lateral resolution. Towards this goal, we have: developed direct, low-frequency scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) instrumentation capable of measuring 10−18F (aF) changes in the capacitance between an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and a sample with a noise level of 0.4 aF/$Hz$; for the first time, quantified and developed means of accounting for changes in parasitic capacitance that occur while scanning an AFM tip; for the first time, quantified the effective area of the meniscus that forms between the AFM tip and the sample while scanning in air; and made the highest lateral resolution (∼200 nm) measurements of dielectric film thickness variations with ∼1nm resolution.