The Improvement of the SiO2/InAs Interface Properties with the Aid of Fast Electron Irradiation in a Direct Current Sputter Deposition System

The improvement of electrophysical parameters of an SiO2/InAs interface were observed during a DC (direct current) sputter deposition of an ITO (indium tin oxide) film. We observed a reduced interface-state density for the ITO/SiO2/InAs structure from 2.5×1012 to 5.7×10 11 cm −2 eV −1 with an electron-stimulated modification of a semiconductor–dielectric interface. The built-in positive charge density also decreased from 2.7×1012 to 6.7×10 11 cm −2 . Experiments were conducted to verify that the main cause of the improvement was due to electron penetration through the SiO2 film into the bulk of the semiconductor crystal lattice. By using a DC sputter deposition for the ITO film, we have presented a new method for the modification of a semiconductor–dielectric interface of a ITO/SiO2/InAs structure.