Structural and electrical properties of Ge nanoparticles grown by LPCVD for MOSstructures

Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) on Si layer with embedded Germanium (Ge) nanoparticles (nps) were made by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the Ge distribution on SiO₂ films as a function of the different temperatures of growth employed. Layers of Ge-nps at 12 nm-near to the Si/SiO₂ interface were formed, where the best result was reposted for the sample grown at 650°C with a density of 7.8×10¹⁰ cm^-2 and a mean radius of 37 nm. Capacitive-Voltage measurements were performed on metal-oxide-semiconductor structures containing these Ge nps in order to study their electrical properties. The results indicate the existence of memory effect at relative low programming voltage (<;6V) due to the presence of Ge-nps near the Si/SiO₂ interface.