Conventional

-Ta film capacitors change in value by about -0.4 percent over their lifetime. Their stability cannot be improved by short-term heat treatment because of damage to the oxide. Similar capacitors made from Ta containing

10 atomic percent nitrogen can, however, be heat treated. This paper reports a test of the stability of such devices. The aging is much smaller, with a predicted value of -0.15 percent after 20 years at 65°C. The activation energy for this aging is 0.65 eV.