Preparation and characteristics of Cu/Al2O3/MgF2/Au tunnel junction

The fabrication process of Cu/Al2O3/MgF2/Au double-barrier metal/insulator/metal junction (DMIMJ) was introduced, and more stable light emission from this junction was successfully observed. The light emission physical mechanism of the junction was discussed. Results show that light emission spectrum of this structure locates at wavelength of 250–700 nm with two peaks at around 460 nm and 640 nm, which moves towards shorter wavelength region in comparison with that of the Al/Al2O3/Au junction. The light emission efficiency of this junction ranges from 0.7×10−5–2.0×10−5, which is 1 to 2 orders higher than that of the single-barrier Al/Al2O3/Au junction. The improved properties of this structure should be due to the electrons resonant tunneling effect in the double-barrier.