Electrical properties of nanocontacts on silicon nanoparticles embedded in thin SiO2 synthesized by ultralow energy ion implantation

In this paper, we present the room temperature current-voltage characteristics of large (100×100μm2) and a nanoscale (100×100nm2) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor containing few silicon nanocrystals. The layer of silicon crystals is synthesized within the oxide of this capacitor by ultralow energy ion implantation and annealing. Current fluctuations in the form of discrete current steps and sharp peaks are apparent in the static and dynamic I(V) characteristics of the capacitor. These features have been associated to quantized charging and discharging of the nanoparticles and the resulting Coulomb interaction to the tunneling current.