Leakage current mechanisms in high performance alumina-silicone nanolaminate dielectrics

Alumina-silicone nanolaminates deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition were explored as dielectrics in metal-insulator-metal capacitors. Temperature-dependent current versus voltage (I-V) measurements were used to investigate the conduction mechanisms contributing to the leakage current in these structures. It is observed that space charge limited current mechanism is the dominant conduction process in the high field region. The estimated shallow trap level energies (E-t) are 0.16 eV and 0.33 eV for 50% and 83.3% Al2O3 nanolaminates, respectively. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4756788]