Two Types of ${E}^{\prime}$ Centers as Gate Oxide Defects Responsible for Hole Trapping and Random Telegraph Signals in pMOSFETs

We report on the investigation of random telegraph signals (RTSs) in pMOSFETs at variable temperatures to identify and characterize the hole traps residing at the oxide-semiconductor interface. Attractive center defects as well as a repulsive center defect are identified with trap location, capture cross section, remote Coulomb scattering coefficient, capture barrier energy, trap binding enthalpy, relaxation energy, and change in entropy with hole emission. The attractive centers responsible for RTS were a pair of dissociated three-coordinated silicon (D-III-Si) defects while the repulsive center was identified as a puckered/back-projected oxygen vacancy defect, [a pair of under-coordinated silicon (III-Si) and over-coordinated oxygen (III-O) defects]. Both contain Eγ' centers. This is the first time when such detailed analysis is reported on the hole traps in SiO
₂
which are responsible for RTS.