TUNNEL METAL-DIELECTRIC-SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE WITH A HIGH-CURRENT DENSITY (REVERSE-BIAS MODE)

The physical processes which determine the behavior of n-silicon tunne l metal-dielectric-semiconductor structures at high current densities are examined. For the first time a complete analytic model is proposed for calculating the current-voltage characteristics of metal-dielectr ic-semiconductor structures with a high voltage on the dielectric. A ' 'classification'' of the possible current-voltage characteristics is i ntroduced. The effect of Auger ionization of the semiconductor by inje cted carriers (including when a high field exists in the semiconductor ) is analyzed. Calculations are presented to illustrate the dependence of the shape of the device characteristics on the level of substrate doping. A study is made of the conditions for the appearance of and th e characteristics of the ''switched-on'' state, in which minority carr iers are lost from the inversion layer not only because of tunnelling into the metal, but also because of diffusion into the interior of the semiconductor. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.