NONADIABATIC TUNNELING AND FINITE SCREENING LENGTH EFFECTS IN THREE-LAYER STRUCTURES

Abstract

The image forces in M-I-M systems are calculated. For small interlayer thickness static image forces differ drastically from classical ones. Small dynamic corrections due to the nonadiabatic electrode polarization are also found for arbitrary thicknesses. The tunneling current is calculated in the small-thickness limit. It is shown that the current can be expressed in terms of the effective work function and electric field renormalized by the image forces. The results obtained give an insight into experimental data for semiconductor heterostructures and break junctions.