HIGH-FIELD CONDUCTIVITY OF AMORPHOUS INSULATOR FILMS

A simple model explaining the current relaxation and stationary conductivity of amorphous insulators is presented. The model is based on the results of a previous paper. The conductivity of the insulators with high concentration of traps (as in the case of silicon nitride) is determined by carrier tunnel injection from the contact. The injection level is limited by the space charge accumulated in the traps of the insulator. The degree of the trap occupancy is determined by Pool‐Frenkel ionization. The model predicts all the peculiarities typical of the Frenkel law. It agrees qualitatively with the experimental data obtained both, for transient and stationary currents in silicon nitride. Copyright © 1979 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA