In this letter, the contrast reversal effect in scanning-capacitance-microscopy (SCM) dopant concentration extraction is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The shift of the turning point in the nonmonotonic response of peak dCdV signal versus dopant concentration to higher dopant concentrations is explained by the difference of the capture/emission time constant of the interface states and the series resistance of the semiconductor sample. This is verified by comparing the experimental SCM measurements with the simulated peak dCdV profile on a p-type multiple dopant step sample. The contrast reversal effect, which affects the accuracy of dopant concentration extraction using the SCM peak dCdV signal, can be minimized by using an overlying oxide with good interfacial quality and a semiconductor sample of low series resistance.

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