Electrothermal Initiation of an Electronic Switching Mechanism in Semiconducting Glasses

Abstract
An analysis of the switching mechanism in semiconducting glasses is given which indicates that the actual switching involves electronic processes which prevent a thermal runaway. The rapid and reversible transition between the highly resistive and conductive states can have a thermal origin from Joule's heating of a current channel. Double tunneling, forced by the characteristic temperature profile, and current‐density saturation are suggested as an explanation of the characteristics in the conductive state.