Conduction through thin metal, metal oxide structures

The current voltage characteristics of thin metal, metal oxide structures of the type, M, MO, M\´ where M is tantalum or niobium and M\´ is aluminum, have been measured for oxide thicknesses ranging from 30 Å to approximately 300 Å. The current voltage curves in general can be described by the Fowler-Nordheim relationship. where J is the current density, E is the applied field, and is the height of the potential barrier between the metal, M, and its oxide. The observed dependence of the I-V curves on temperature between 77°K and 450°K suggests that in addition to tunneling, other mechanisms are operative in the conduction through the structures. These mechanisms will be discussed. In addition, the application of these results to five layer structures which can exhibit triode behavior will be presented.