Electron-hole recombination at the Si-SiO2 interface

We have measured the surface recombination current J(ns,ps) at high quality thermally grown Si-SiO2 interfaces as a function of the surface density of electrons and holes, ns and ps. We find that the recombination is dominated by centers whose electron capture cross section is about 100 times greater than their hole capture cross section. Therefore, the maximum recombination occurs when ps≊100ns. Recombination is minimized under extreme electron or hole accumulation and is coincidentally the same in both cases: exp(qV/kT)×10−14 A/cm2.