Post-metallization H2 annealing of electrically active defects in Ta2O5/nitrided Si stacks

The effect of H
₂
post-metallization annealing (PMA) on the electrical behavior of sputtered Ta
₂
O
₅
layers on nitrogen ion implanted Si is investigated. The high densities of oxide charge interface and slow states typical of as-deposited stacks are strongly reduced by one to two orders of magnitude after annealing. H
₂
treatment affects both bulk Ta
₂
O
₅
and interfacial layers but is more efficient in annealing electrically active defects in nitrided layer. The effect of defect annealing on the leakage currents and conduction mechanisms is also discussed