Charge trapping centers in N‐rich silicon nitride thin films

We have examined the behavior of the Si dangling‐bond center in regard to charge trapping in N‐rich amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride thin films. The effects of multiple electron and hole injections were monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance. These results continue to support a model in which the Si dangling bond is a negative U defect in N‐rich nitrides, and that a change in charge state of pre‐existing diamagnetic positively and negatively charged sites is responsible for the memory properties of silicon nitride thin films.