Electron trapping in oxide grown from polycrystalline silicon

This paper presents a method of characterizing the N-σ (density -- "capture-cross-section") distribution of electron traps in insulators. Requiring only voltage-time measurements made at constant currents, this method has found for oxides grown from poly-Si N ∝ σ^-1.16. The previously reported absence of saturation in electron trapping in these oxides is explained by the high density of traps with small cross-sections. The trap density and cross-section are insensitive to the oxidation condition. The observed trapping characteristics is consistent with this density-cross-section distribution, first order rate dynamics of trapping, and unnoticeable new trap generation by field or current stressing under the test conditions.