Electron trap level of hydrogen incorporated nitrogen vacancies in silicon nitride

Hydrogen incorporation into nitrogen vacancies in silicon nitride and its effects on electron trap level are analyzed using simulation based on density functional theory with temperature- and pressure-dependent hydrogen chemical potential. If the silicon dangling bonds around a nitrogen vacancy are well separated each other, hydrogen incorporation is energetically stable up to 900 °C, which is in agreement with the experimentally observed desorption temperature. On the other hand, if the dangling bonds strongly interact, the incorporation is energetically unfavorable even at room temperature because of steric hindrance. An electron trap level caused by a nitrogen vacancy becomes shallow by the hydrogen incorporation. An electron is trapped in a deep level created by a silicon dangling bond before hydrogen incorporation, whereas it is trapped in a shallow level created by an anti-bonding state of a silicon-silicon bond after hydrogen incorporation. The simulation results qualitatively explain the experiment, in which reduced hydrogen content in silicon nitride shows superior charge retention characteristics.