A new type of local defects in very thin silicon dioxide films on arsenic-implanted p-type silicon

Local oxide defects in thin silicon dioxide films thermally grown on arsenic-implanted n⁺ layer on a p-type Si substrate as well as on a plain p-type substrate were studied with the EBIC/TCM (Electron Beam Induced Current/Tunneling Current Microscopy) technique. We have captured the EBIC micrographs and the EBIC linescans for the defects. A new type of local oxide defect was observed with the property that the TOEBIC (True Oxide EBIC) contrast and the TCM contrast are of the same polarity. This is not the same as the more usual type of oxide defects, which have opposite TOEBIC and TCM contrast. The more usual type of local oxide defects can be found in silicon dioxide films thermally grown on p-type Si substrate with or without the n⁺ implanted layer. However, the new type of local oxide defects can be found only in thin silicon dioxide films thermally grown on arsenic-implanted n⁺ layer on a p-type Si substrate. A tentative explanation was proposed to explain our experimental observations