Electron Interactions with Local and Resonant Mode Phonons in Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Tunnel Junctions

摘要

Interactions between tunneling electrons and a variety of phonons have been previously reported in metal-insulator-semiconductor tunnel junctions including zone boundary phonons, the k approximately 0 longitudinal and transverse optical phonons, and the boron local mode phonons. The report describes the observation of interactions between tunneling electrons and the local and resonant mode phonons associated with nitrogen in n-type silicon carbide and phosphorous, carbon, oxygen, and carbon-oxygen in n-type silicon. The data on silicon carbide tunnel junctions suggest that the interaction with the tunneling electrons arise from nitrogen substituted for silicon atoms and that there is one, or at most two, conduction band minima. Well-known diffusion techniques have been used to produce silicon with a high concentration of both boron and phosphorous impurities. Data from tunnel junctions fabricated on these materials indicate that the tunneling electrons participating in the mass defect phonon interaction do not interact in the barrier region of the semiconductor. Also, the interaction between the electron and the mass defect phonons depends on the concentration of impurity atoms, not on the majority carrier concentration. (Author)