High-quality films were produced by using a direct plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process (involving silane, nitrous oxide and He) which left a nitrided layer at the Si/SiO2 interface. The use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, together with etching-back of the films, showed that the interface N was incorporated by nitridation of the Si surface. Fowler-Nordheim injection measurements, of thin films which had been annealed (950C, 60s) after deposition, showed that the neutral trap and interface state generation rates were comparable to those in thermal oxides if a suitable deposition power was used. The data were consistent with the concept that fast donor states, rather than Pb centers, accounted for almost all of the increase in charge trapping at the interface.

D.Landheer, Y.Tao, D.X.Xu, G.I.Sproule, D.A.Buchanan: Journal of Applied Physics, 1995, 78[3], 1818-23