Current noise measurements of surface defect states in amorphous silicon

Measurements of conductance fluctuations in coplanar hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) are reported as a function of surface etching treatments. The noise power spectrum displays a broadened Lorentzian peak, associated with surface damage by CF₄ reactive ion etching (RIE), whereas surface etches using ion milling or wet chemicals remove the Lorentzian spectral feature and only a 1/f spectral form for frequency f is observed. The Lorentzian spectral feature can be explained by trapping-detrapping from surface states induced by the RIE etch, which cause fluctuations in the depletion width of the space charge region near the film surface. The thermally activated Lorentzian corner frequency is a measure of the degree of band bending and the Fermi energy at the thin film surface.