On the Impact of Defects Close to the Gate Electrode on the Low-Frequency $\hbox {1}/f$ Noise

This letter studies the impact of defects close to the gate electrode side on low-frequency 1/f noise in the drain and gate current. Defects are selectively introduced by deposition of a submonolayer of HfO₂ dielectric, which induce a large Fermi-level pinning on the gate. Contrary to the common belief that defects at the Si/SiO₂ interface are the dominant effect on 1/f noise, defects at the interface and fluctuations in the poly-Si charge are also important.