A comparison of commercially available quasistatic meters and methods

The capacitance-voltage (C-V) technique is one of the most powerful and direct methods to investigate interface traps in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS or MOS) related devices. As the C-V technique is of such fundamental importance in detecting and monitoring process related defects the systematic measurement concerns, misinterpretations and limitations associated with the equipment used to implement this technique must be fully understood and characterized. This study reports the results of a detailed comparison of both the (raw) measured C-V curve and the (analyzed) interface trap density versus energy data obtained using commercially available quasistatic meters, specifically the Hewlett-Packard (HP) model 4140B quasistatic/dc picoammeter and the Keithley model 595 quasistatic meter.