Metallic-nanoparticle assisted enhanced band-to-band tunneling current

Metallic nanoparticle assisted band-to-band tunneling is proposed, and the impact of such nanoparticle induced states on the tunneling probability and current is modeled and analyzed. An analytical formula for tunneling probability is derived for the case of constant force, and it is shown that the incorporation of these particles in the forbidden gap can lead to a substantial increase in the tunneling current. The effect of the Fermi-level pinning position on the tunneling current is studied, and the pinning value for obtaining maximum improvement in current is discussed depending on the force conditions. It is also shown that an asymmetric pinning is required to leverage maximum benefits from the insertion of metallic nanoparticles. VC 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3633343]