Effect of Carrier Diffusion on the Electrical Properties of Si–Zn–Sn–O/Ag/Si–Zn–Sn–O Multilayers

Typically, a parallel circuit model is used to explain the electrical resistivity of oxide-metal-oxide (OMO) multilayers; such a model treats the top, middle, and bottom sublayers independently. However, in the case of semiconductor–metal-semiconductor multilayer systems, this model is not applicable; according to the theory of metal-semiconductor contact, carrier diffusion arising from the difference in the work functions of the materials should also be considered. In this paper, we investigate the effect of carrier diffusion on the electrical properties by changing the thickness of both the top and bottom oxide layers. We find that adjusting the thickness of the oxide sublayers realizes direct control of the carrier density in OMO multilayers.