Temperature dependence of the tunneling current in metal-oxide-semiconductor devices due to the coupling between the longitudinal and transverse components of the electron thermal energy

Based on the analysis of the Schrödinger equation, the coupling between the longitudinal and transverse components of the thermal energy of tunneling electrons gives a physical explanation of the temperature-dependent tunneling current. The difference of the effective electron mass between the oxide and the substrate (gate) results in a reduction in the barrier height of metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Such a reduction strongly depends on the energy of tunneling electrons. The calculated Fowler-Nordheim tunneling currents agree well with the experimental data in the literature. The calculations also show that the temperature sensitivity of the tunneling current strongly depends on the effective electron mass.