Diode Characteristics of a Metal-Insulator-Metal Structure

Abstract

The large intrinsic field that can exist inside a thin insulator film which is sandwiched between dissimilar electrodes, is utilized to make the MIM (Metal-Insulator-Metal) structure operate as a diode. Dielectric monomolecular films of barium stearate are sandwiched between an aluminium and a tin electrode. The maximum value of forward bias current is of the order of a few nanoamperes. It is suggested that the value of current may be increased by utilizing a suitably doped dielectric. © 1976, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers Ltd.