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 ZrO 2 -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.