Defect band structure investigation of postbreakdown SiO_2

摘要

The defect band structure and properties of postbreakdown SiO_2 have been investigated by the variation method of Harrison. The breakdown path of SiO_2 can be considered as a one-dimensional linear chain of defects between electrodes. The first soft breakdown occurs when the ratio of the distance between defects to the defect radius locally reaches a critical value of about 8, and hard breakdown occurs when the ratio is about 3.4. The ratio and the Weibull slope are recisymmetrical. Thus, the type and properties of oxide breakdown paths can be determined and analyzed when the Weibull slope is known.