Abstract :
The quantum well arises because the band bending of silicon confines the electrons to a narrow surface region during field emission. Field emission from silicon covered with a thin oxide layer is modelled and calculated analytically. The additional barrier due to the oxide layer (1–7 nm) which is characterized by a conduction band effective potential and effective mass, and the quantum well near the surface of silicon are taken into account during field emission. Field emission currents are estimated using the WKB approximation. The results presented here suggest an increase of the emission current due to the surface quantization of silicon and a reduction of the emission current due to a thin oxide layer. For the oxide below ∼ 1 nm, the standard Fowler-Nordheim plot of field emission is shown to be linear. For the oxide from 1 to 7 nm, the standard Fowler-Nordheim plot deviates from linearity and local weak oscillation occurs.
