High-electric-field-generated electron traps in oxide grown from polycrystalline silicon

A thin oxide film thermally grown from polycrystalline silicon was studied under pulsed high electric fields. Since the oxide was grown on a bumpy surface, both oxide surfaces are not smooth. The field enhancement caused by the bumpy surfaces produces high local electric fields. Electron traps are found in the oxide, and the generation of these traps is experimentally correlated to these local high fields. Measured results show that under constant applied voltage, the higher the local electric fields in the oxide, the faster the decay in the measured oxide current.