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Electronic structure of silicon nitride

V. A. Gritsenko

Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Russian Acsdemy of Sciences, Novosibirsk

Abstract: Amorphous oxide SiO$_2$, oxynitride SiO$_x$N$_y$, and silicon nitride Si$_3$N$_4$ are the three key dielectric materials of silicon device technology. Silicon nitride is currently finding use in a variety of applications, in particular, as a storage medium in next-generation flash memory devices. Varying the chemical composition of nonstoichiometric silicon-rich SiN$_x$ allows a wide-range control of its optical and electrical properties. In this review, an analysis of the electronic structure of silicon nitride of varying composition is presented.

PACS: 71.15.Mb, 71.23.-k, 77.22.-d, 77.55.df, 77.84.Bw, 78.20.-e

Received: December 8, 2011
Accepted: January 16, 2012

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0182.201205d.0531

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2012, 55:5, 498–507

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