Quantum Electronic Trap-to-Band Transitions in Chalcogenides Induced by Electron-Electron Interaction

Charge transport in amorphous-chalcogenide materials used for manufacturing memory devices is determined by two mechanisms: hopping of trapped electrons and motion of band electrons. Electron-electron interaction is investigated here as one of the mechanisms mainly responsible for the trap-to-band transitions. The problem is tackled using a fully quantum-mechanical approach by numerically solving the two-particle, time-dependent Schroedinger equation. The results show that the detrapping probability increases with the current density, this supporting the interpretation by which successive electron-electron scattering events may play a major role in the determining the snap-back of the I(V) characteristic in this kind of materials.