The influence of water on the annealing behavior of midgap traps at the silicon oxide-silicon interface

The annealing of interface traps in silicon oxide-silicon structures has been studied using forming gas with three levels of water concentration. The samples were annealed at 450 °C without gate and, for comparison, with an aluminum gate present on top of the silicon oxide layer. The density of interface traps at the midgap was lower with the higher level of water concentration in the atmosphere of the tube.