Higher Performance Metal-Insulator-Metal Diodes using Multiple Insulator Layers

It is found that by repeating two insulator layers with different electron affinities and keeping the total insulator thickness constant, the asymmetry and nonlinearity values can have significant impact on the behavior of Metal- Insulator-Metal diodes. The asymmetry value of a diode with a double insulator layer was recorded as 3, however, for a quadra insulator layer diode; the asymmetry value was recorded as high as 90. The new MIM diode design promises a strong impact on emerging applications such as energy harvesting from fast switching electromagnetic waves.