Switching and breakdown in films

Abstract A unified treatment is given for switching and breakdown events, which occur in the range of fields of a few to more than 107 V/cm. The events, changes from an insulating to a conducting state, are shown to consist of a number of consecutive steps, resulting in permanent material change on breakdown but not on switching. The main classes of events, thermal, electronic and electronic modified thermal are discussed. Observations of such events in thin films and their interpretations are treated, showing that the mechanism of thermal events and electronic ones in semiconductor junctions is understood, but that the mechanism of insulator breakdown requires clarification.

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