Theory of the current-field relation in silicon-rich silicon dioxide

The dependence of the current on the electric field in silicon-rich silicon dioxide (Si-rich SiO2) is studied with the use of a theoretical model based on quantum-mechanical tunneling between a random array of small semiconducting Si islands in a large-band-gap SiO2 insulator matrix. The current J is calculated in the presence of an electric field F by a simple percolation method for various regimes of external voltage. In the high-field limit, the current is found to obey a Fowler-Nordheim law, 1n J-FF, but with F weakly dependent on the field F. © 1984 The American Physical Society.