Abstract
The current-voltage characteristics of thin-film capacitors with evaporated terbium fluoride dielectric have been studied as a function of temperature (in the range 300 to 418 K). For sufficiently high electric fields (> 104 V cm−1, the leakage current is found to increase exponentially with the square root of the applied electric field. Analysis of the data suggests an electrode-limited mechanism such as that suggested by Schottky. It is seen that the conduction mechanism is an activated process with the activation energy decreasing with increasing field. Dielectric break-down and its dependence on film thickness have also been investigated. Break-down field strength follows the Forlani-Minnaja relation.
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Paramasivam, K.R., Radhakrishnan, M. & Balasubramanian, C. Electrical conduction in evaporated terbium fluoride thin films. J Mater Sci 16, 1183–1186 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01033829
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01033829