Transport process in thin SiO2 films with an embedded 2-D array of Si nanocrystals

This work deals with the electrical characteristics and physical properties of novel dielectric systems based on silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 matrices. In particular, the transport phenomena of 10 nm thick SiO2 capac itors with an embedded thin layer (5 nm) of LPCVD Si nanocrystals, located at different tunneling distances from the oxide-substrate interface: are st udied. An original model based on an elastic tunneling phenomenon, which al lows an efficient evaluation of the main structural characteristics of Si d ots, is proposed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.