Self-consistent theory of unipolar charge-carrier injection in metal/insulator/metal systems

A consistent device model to describe current-voltage characteristics of metal/insulator/metal systems is developed. In this model the insulator and the metal electrodes are described within the same theoretical framework using density of states distributions. This approach leads to differential equations for the electric field which have to be solved in a self-consistent manner by considering the continuity of the electric displacement and the electrochemical potential in the complete system. The model is capable of describing the current-voltage characteristics of the metal/insulator/metal system in forward and reverse biases for arbitrary values of the metal/insulator injection barriers. In the case of high injection barriers, approximations are provided offering a tool for comparison with experiments. Numerical calculations are performed exemplarily using a simplified model of an organic semiconductor. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.