Monte Carlo studies of hot electron transport in insulating films with nanocavities

The problem of hot electron transport and energy loss at high electric fields in insulators is of considerable interest in considering dielectric breakdown and hot carrier related degradation. A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation provides the basis for a study of hot electron transport in thin polyethylene (PE) films at high electric fields based on energy loss to phonons computed using parameter-free, first principles computational quantum mechanics. The electron trajectories, probability densities, and spatial evolution of the electron energy distribution are presented. The electrons with energy greater than the bandgap (8.8eV) trigger impact ionization, which can lead to avalanche breakdown, while electrons with energy larger than 3-4eV can cause degradation of the dielectric. The effect of nanometer scale cavities is also investigated.