Studies in electron phenomena in MOS structures: The pulsed C-V method

Abstract

The pulse hysteresis capacitance voltage (C-V) provides a straight forward technique for measuring the change of various charges in MOS structures and a tool for investigating the kinetics of various electron phenomena is developed and described. The method can be used for measuring the energy distribution and kinetics of surface states with the resolution of about 1/5 x 10 to the -9 power cm eV. Some transients in an MOS structure, particularly, the thermal generation of minority charge carriers via surface states and the relaxation of minority charge carriers supplied from the inversion layer outside the MOS structure are theoretically investigated. Analytical expressions which clearly present the physics of those electron phenomena are derived.