Appearance of a Tunneling Spectrum Peak by Electrical Breakdown of Tunneling Junction

• Published in: IEEE transactions on magnetics Vol. 44; no. 11; pp. 2589 - 2591
• Main Authors: Horikiri, K., Shiiki, K.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.11.2008; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: AlOx; Applied sciences; Breakdown; Breakdown voltage; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric breakdown; Electric potential; Electric resistance; electrical breakdown; Electrical junctions; Electrodes; Electrons; Exact sciences and technology; Fermi surfaces; ion-beam sputtering; Magnetism; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Other topics in materials science; Oxidation; Physics; Production techniques; Spectra; Spectroscopy; Sputtering; Stress; Stresses; Surface treatment; thermal oxidation; Tunneling; tunneling junction; tunneling spectroscopy; Voltage; tunneling spectroscopy; electrical breakdown; thermal oxidation; tunneling junction; Ion beam; Oxidation; AlOx; ion-beam sputtering; Sputtering; Magnetic properties
• ISSN: 0018-9464; 1941-0069
• DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2008.2003041

Inelastic electron tunneling spectra of metal/AlO x /metal junctions were measured at 77 K. For as-made samples up to 0.3 V, the only observable peak occurred near 0.04 V. After electrical breakdown induced both by a ramped voltage stress and by a constant voltage stress, a peak appeared near 0.09 V. It is thought that a conduction level, which is about 0.09 eV higher than the Fermi level, was created in AlO x by the electrical breakdown. The breakdown is not thought to be due to a simple short circuit caused by a pinhole or the like.