Carrier storage in Ge nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser deposition

In this work, we report on the electrical characterization of Ge nanoparticles (NPs) produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature (RT) in Ar gas inert atmosphere using a shadowed off-axis deposition geometry. Our results show that functional thin films of crystalline Ge NPs embedded between thin alumina films can be obtained on p-type Si(100) substrates following a low temperature and short rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment. Metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures with and without Ge NPs embedded in the alumina were prepared for the electrical measurements. The results indicate a strong memory effect at relatively low programming voltages (±4 V) due to the presence of Ge NPs.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/FIS/70194/2006, SFRH/BPD/64850/2009 (FCT grant)COMPETECOST MP0901-NanoTP ActionCooperation program (FCT-CNRST)-2010/2012, Ref. 441.0