Criterion for determining the origin of Ohmic currents in insulators

Abstract
For thin insulating layers the observation of a linear I‐V curves is often cited as prima facie evidence that the carriers originate from thermal bulk generation. In the present paper we point out that a linear I‐V curve can also arise from an emission‐limited or contact‐controlled current. We present an unambiguous experimental criterion to determine whether a linear I‐V curve results from contact emission or bulk generation.

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