Generalized Formula for the Electric Tunnel Effect between Similar Electrodes Separated by a Thin Insulating Film

作者：John G. Simmons · 发表于：Journal of Applied Physics · 年份：1963 · DOI：10.1063/1.1702682 · 被引用次数：4175 · 研究领域：Power Transformer Diagnostics and Insulation、High voltage insulation and dielectric phenomena、Surface and Thin Film Phenomena

A formula is derived for the electric tunnel effect through a potential barrier of arbitrary shape existing in a thin insulating film. The formula is applied to a rectangular barrier with and without image forces. In the image force problem, the true image potential is considered and compared to the approximate parabolic solution derived by Holm and Kirschstein. The anomalies associated with Holm's expression for the intermediate voltage characteristic are resolved. The effect of the dielectric constant of the insulating film is discussed in detail, and it is shown that this constant affects the temperature dependence of the J-V characteristic of a tunnel junction.