Electronic properties of partially crystalline SiOx suboxide films

Partially crystalline, silicon suboxide (SiOx, 0 x 2) insulating films with oxygen contents of 30 to 35 at.% have been grown on Si(100) substrates. The SiOx films form under conditions that cause the simultaneous kinetic processes of oxidation and etching of Si, which include an oxygen partial pressure of similar to 10(-5) torr and a substrate temperature between 680 and 730 degreesC. Transmission electron microscopy images reveal that the SiOx layer is not homogeneous, but rather is comprised of neighboring regions of order and disorder throughout the film. Temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) measurements of a 30 at.% oxygen film indicate a zero-bias activation energy for current transport of 480 meV across the SiOx film.