Nanocrystalline Si Formation by Pulsed Laser Deposition/Annealing Techniques and Its Charge Storage Effect

Nanocrystalline Si Formation by Pulsed Laser Deposition/Annealing Techniques and Its Charge Storage Effect

Si nanocrystals were fabricated in a SiO$_2$ film by pulsed laser deposition followed by annealing in an O$_2$ atmosphere. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence analyses demonstrate the existence of Si nanocrystals in the SiO$_2$ films, whose average size is 2 $\sim$ 4 nm. Metal-oxide-silicon structures containing a SiO$_2$ layer are shown to exhibit capacitance-voltage hysteresis under several gate voltage sweep conditions. A field effect transistor with a SiO$_2$ layer as a gate insulator was fabricated, and this revealed a memory effect. It is shown that the charge storage memory effect is a likely consequence of charging/discharging at the Si nanocrystals.

Si nanocrystals were fabricated in a SiO$_2$ film by pulsed laser deposition followed by annealing in an O$_2$ atmosphere. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence analyses demonstrate the existence of Si nanocrystals in the SiO$_2$ films, whose average size is 2 $\sim$ 4 nm. Metal-oxide-silicon structures containing a SiO$_2$ layer are shown to exhibit capacitance-voltage hysteresis under several gate voltage sweep conditions. A field effect transistor with a SiO$_2$ layer as a gate insulator was fabricated, and this revealed a memory effect. It is shown that the charge storage memory effect is a likely consequence of charging/discharging at the Si nanocrystals.