Hole Currents in Thermally Grown SiO2

Abstract

Results are reported on the current of holes injected into thermally grown SiO₂ from a planar avalanching p‐n junction. The current seems to be limited by a bulk process, viz., field‐assisted thermal emission from traps in the SiO₂ (Poole‐Frenkel conduction). This mechanism accounts for the exponential dependence of the current on the field in the oxide. From the decay of the current as a function of time, a value of 6 ± 2 cm⁻¹ was found for N₀S, the concentration of hole‐trapping centers in the SiO₂ times the capture cross section.