BORDER TRAPS IN MOS DEVICES

It is recommended that the terminology for oxide charges developed in 1979 by the Deal committee be updated to include near-interfacial oxide traps that communicate with the underlying Si and that these defects collectively be called "border traps." Justification for this nomenclature is presented and defining features of border traps are discussed. Border traps play an important role in determining low-frequency (1/f) noise levels in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors and also appear to have been observed in recent spin-dependent recombination studies on irradiated devices at microwave frequencies. This terminology is intended to add focus to discussions of defect type and location in MOS structures.