Transport and relaxation of hot conduction electrons in an organic dielectric

Abstract

Effective mean free paths of hot electrons in the energy range 0.5 eV\ensuremath{\le}${E}_{\mathrm{kin}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\le}}20}$ eV are determined experimentally for the paraffin n-${\mathrm{C}}_{36}$${\mathrm{H}}_{74}$ with the internal photoemission for transport analysis method. The hot-electron transport parameters are discussed in terms of fundamental scattering mechanisms in organic dielectrics. The influence of hot-electron-induced trap formation on the transport properties is investigated. The consequences for dielectric breakdown are pointed out.