Negative Space‐Charge Effect on Schottky Current in Thin Insulating Films

A simple theory is used to describe the effect of negative space‐charge on the Schottky current in thin insulating films. The space‐charge limited current is discussed as a limiting case. The theoretical results are applied to the measured In I ({article}{empty}{document}√ U{document} ) Schottky characteristics of Al‐Al2O3‐Al structures. The observed negative space‐charge effect leads to a concentration of trapped electrons nt ≈︁ 3 ×1017 cm−3.