Influence of interfacial tunnel exchange on dielectric losses in thin amorphous insulating films

Charge storage kinetics (absorption and resorption currents) and harmonic response of amorphous dielectric thin films have been interpreted with account of the tunnel exchange between the electrons of the metal and the traps in the insulator. The space distribution of traps in the insulator monitors the behaviour of charge storage and consequently the time variation of the currents. Simple space distributions of traps have been analysed and their consequences have been satisfactorily compared with former experimental results. Furthermore, the influence of the energy distribution of the traps and of the sample temperature on the magnitude of the transient response have also been discussed.