Which phenomenon causes electron tunneling current through an ultra-thin insulating layer within semiconductor device?

💡 Explanation

When barrier width is sufficiently small, electron tunneling occurs because the wave function penetrates the classically forbidden region, resulting in a non-zero probability of finding the electron on the other side. Therefore, wavefunction tail extension results, rather than thermal overcoming, space charge, or impurity effects, which require higher temperatures or doping levels.

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