Hot-electron induced passivation of silicon dangling bonds at the Si(111)/SiO2 interface

It is demonstrated that pre-existing silicon dangling bonds in Al-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors on (111) silicon substrates are passivated during hot-electron stress, while defects—of an as yet unidentified nature—are simultaneously generated. This degradation behavior mimics the interface degradation caused by atomic hydrogen from a remote plasma, suggesting that hydrogen release by hot electrons leads to interface degradation, but the silicon dangling bond is not the dominant interface defect.