ANODE HOLE INJECTION AND TRAPPING IN SILICON DIOXIDE

Hole injection into silicon dioxide films from the polycrystalline-sil icon anode or from the anode/oxide interface is demonstrated to unequi vocally occur for any case where electrons are present in the oxide co nduction band and where the average electric field in the oxide exceed s 5 MV/cm (thick-film limit) or the voltage drop across the oxide laye r is at least 8 V (thin-film limit). The hole generation is directly s hown to be related to the appearance of hot electrons with kinetic ene rgies greater than 5 eV in the oxide conduction band near the anode re gion. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that the electron energy distrib ution at the anode is the controlling variable and that hot hole injec tion occurs mostly over the anode/oxide energy barrier. (C) 1996 Ameri can Institute of Physics.