AVALANCHE INJECTION CURRENTS AND CHARGING PHENOMENA IN THERMAL SiO2

Abstract

Injection of carriers into thermally grown SiO2 from an avalanche plasma in silicon is a new way of achieving high current densities in SiO2. Electron injection from p-type silicon and hole injection from n-type silicon by hot carrier emission have been observed. Average electron current densities as high as 10−2 A/cm2 have been observed to flow through 1000 Å of SiO2. The oxide becomes negatively charged as a result of electron injection and positively charged as a result of hole injection. These charging effects appear to be related to the presence of water in the oxide.