Effect of the series resistance on the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling characteristics of ultra-thin gate oxides

The influence of the series resistance on the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling characteristics of metal-oxide-semiconductor structures with ultra-thin gate oxides (t/sub ox/ = 4.9 nm) is investigated. Because of the nonnegligible potential drop associated with this resistance, the current-voltage characteristics exhibit a shape at the highest fields that can only be accounted for including this effect in the standard treatment. The correction to the oxide field leads to an implicit equation for the current that must be solved numerically. The solution to this problem can also be extended to the case of carbon nanotube electron emitters.