A Sensitivity Map-Based Approach to Profile Defects in MIM Capacitors From I-V, C-V, and G-V Measurements

We present a defect spectroscopy technique to profile the energy and spatial distribution of defects within a material stack from leakage current (J-V), capacitance (C-V), and conductance (G-V) measurements. The technique relies on the concept of sensitivity maps (SMs) that identify the bandgap regions, where defects affect those electrical characteristics. The information provided by SMs are used to reproduce J-V, C-V, and G-V data measured at different temperatures and frequencies by means of physics-based simulations relying on an accurate description of carrier-defect interactions. The proposed defect spectroscopy technique is applied to ZrO2-based metal-insulator-metal structures of different compositions for dynamic random-access memory capacitor applications. The origin of the observed voltage, temperature, and frequency dependencies of the I-V, C-V, and G-V data is understood, and the atomic structure of the relevant stack defects is identified.