Analog characteristics of metal-insulator-metal capacitors using PECVD nitride dielectrics

The frequency dependence of PECVD nitride and LPCVD oxide metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors is investigated with special attention for precision analog applications. At measurement frequencies of 1.0 MHz, nitride MIM capacitors show capacitance linearity close to that of oxide MIM capacitors, indicating potential for precision analog circuit applications. Due to dispersion effects, however, nitride MIM capacitors show significant degradation in capacitor linearity as the frequency is reduced, which leads to accuracy limitations for precision analog circuits. Oxide MIM capacitors are essentially independent of frequency.