High field electron transport and breakdown in amorphous and disordered solids

Abstract

Experimental results on high electric field electron transport and breakdown in amorphous or disordered solids are presented. It was found that the time-of-flight electron drift mobility in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films increased with increasing applied field. It was also found that the breakdown field in a-Si:H films and gamma -ray irradiated KCl crystals had a negative temperature gradient in contrast to that in crystalline solids. These experimental results are consistently explained by taking account of the increase in electron temperature (hot electron) in the theory of dispersive transport in amorphous solids. >