Silver nanoparticles embedded in dielectric matrix: Charge transport analysis with application to control of space charge formation

This work presents a study on the charge injection and control of dielectric charging phenomenon in thin dielectric layers with tailored interfaces. Single layer of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) was deposited on thermally grown SiO₂ layer and covered with plasma deposited thin organosilicon SiCO:H layer. Thus, the Ag-NPs layer can be located at different distances from the surface with Ag-NPs representing artificial deep traps for the charges injected from the surface. The space-charge diagnostic was performed by Kelvin Force Microscopy (KFM) - a diagnostic method derivative from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and giving the possibility to probe the surface potential and the quantity of charges injected previously by an AFM tip under bias voltage. The obtained results reveal that presence of Ag-NPs close to the dielectric surface significantly modifies the electric field distribution; thus a single layer of Ag-NPs can efficiently be used to block the electrical charge injection in thin dielectric layers.