Temperature dependence of the electron affinity difference between Si and SiO2 in polysilicon (n+)–oxide–silicon (p) structures: Effect of the oxide thickness

The variations with temperature of the Fowler–Nordheim (FN) emission in metal–oxide–semiconductor structures when the injecting electrode is the degenerate polysilicon gate (n+) are investigated. The temperature dependence of the electron affinity difference Φ between Si and SiO2 and of the barrier height Φb for three oxide thicknesses (5, 7, and 12 nm) are analyzed. The results are numerically derived from the exact integral expression of the FN current as functions of temperature varying from 25 to 300 °C. The variation with temperature of both the obtained Φ and dΦ/dT parameters at the polysilicon (n+)–oxide barrier are discussed with respect to the literature data.