RANDOM TELEGRAPH NOISE IN MICROSTRUCTURES

The theory of random current switchings in conductors with S-type curr ent-voltage characteristic is presented. In the range of bistability, the mean time spent by the system in the low-current state before a tr ansition to the high-current state occurs, <(tau)over bar>(l), decreas es with voltage, and that for the high-current state, <(tau)over bar>( h), grows with voltage; both variations are exponential-like. <(tau)ov er bar>(l) = <(tau)over bar>(h) at a definite voltage in the bistabili ty range. These results are in full accordance with experiments on mic rostructures. Because of the growth of both times with the size of the conductor, such noise is observable just in microstructures.