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arXiv · 2610.11643

The role of density in shaping electron trapping in amorphous silicon nitride

Jonathon Cottom·Emilia Olsson
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Abstract

The electronic properties of amorphous silicon nitride vary with processing, which often changes stoichiometry and density together. Separating their contributions is essential to connect film structure with electron trapping. Across 499 stoichiometric configurations spanning 2.86-3.19g cm$^{-3}$, porosity controls the trapping mixture. Lower density increases accessible void fraction from 8.4 to 12.6%, expands internal surface and more than triples the supply of free three-coordinate Si precursors. Capture at pre-existing Si dangling bonds (K centres) rises from 9 to 29%, while induced-K and polaronic trapping decline. A neutral precursor fingerprint predicts the trapping mixture in held-out configurations and reproduces its density dependence. Local compensation controls K-centre activation, electronic competition selects capture, and bond strain predicts polaronic relaxation or induced-K formation. Routes involve distinct network volumes but retain their characteristic depths and relaxation energies across the density range. At fixed stoichiometry, density controls the trapping mixture through porosity and precursor availability.

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Jonathon Cottom, Emilia Olsson. 2026-10-08. The role of density in shaping electron trapping in amorphous silicon nitride. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11643

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