Electron transport through nanocomposite SiO2(Si) films containing Si nanocrystals

The current transport through insulating SiO2 films with silicon nanocrystals in Si/SiO2(Si)/A1 structures has been investigated in the wide range of temperatures (82...350 K). The nanocomposite SiO2(Si) films containing the silicon nanoclusters embedded into insulating SiO2 matrix have been obtained by ion-plasma sputtering of silicon target and subsequent high-temperature annealing. Based on the detailed analysis of current-voltage characteristics, calculation of some electrical parameters has been performed and the mechanism of electron conductivity of nanocomposite SiO2(Si) films has been ascertained. The electrical conductivity of the films is based on the mechanism of hopping conductivity with variable-range hopping through the traps near the Fermi level.