Field Dependent Electrical Conduction in Metal-Insulator-Metal Devices using Alumina-Silicone Nanolaminate Dielectrics

Abstract

ABSTRACTHybrid alumina-silicone nanolaminate films were synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. PECVD allows digital control over nanolaminate construction, and may be performed at low temperature for compatibility with flexible substrates. These materials are being considered as dielectrics for application such as capacitors in thin film transistors and memory devices. In this work, we present the temperature dependent current versus voltage (I-V) measurements of the nanolaminate dielectrics in the range of 200- 310 K to better asses their potential in these applications. Various models are used to know the different conduction mechanisms contributing to the leakage current in these nanolaminate films. It is observed that space charge limited current (SCLC) mechanism is the dominant conduction process in the high field region whereas Ohmic conduction process is contributing to the leakage current in the low field region. The shallow electron trap level energy (Et) of 0.16 eV is responsible for SCLC mechanism whereas for Ohmic conduction process the activation energy (Ea) for electrons is about 0.22 eV. An energy band diagram is given to explain the dominance of various conduction mechanisms in different field regions in these nanolaminate films.