INVESTIGATION OF ROOM-TEMPERATURE ION-BEAM HYDROGENATION FOR THE REMOVAL OF TRAPS IN SILICON ION-BEAM DAMAGED METAL-OXIDE-SILICON STRUCTURES

Electrically active defects were generated in metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) structures by implantation of 16 keV Si ions into the oxide (350 angstrom thick) of oxidized silicon wafers. Subsequently, hydrogenation was carried out at room temperature by 400 eV H ions from a Kaufman source. To examine the nature of interaction between the H ions and the electronic traps and the efficacy of ion beam hydrogenation, current-voltage, and comprehensive admittance-voltage-frequency measurements were made. The measured data were analyzed to yield information on the trap and other important parameters of the MOS structure. The experimental data indicated impressive passivation of the ion beam induced damage by room-temperature hydrogenation. Many and most of the insiduous effects of radiation damage were removed, some completely. However, the results also indicated generation of some H-defect complexes during hydrogenation, leading to residual traps in the hydrogenated samples.