Which mechanism causes increased current leakage when semiconductor transistor gate oxide thickness is reduced below 2nm?

💡 Explanation

When transistor gate oxide thickness decreases below 2nm, quantum tunneling of electrons through the insulating barrier becomes significant because the barrier width is comparable to electron de Broglie wavelength, leading to increased leakage. Therefore quantum tunneling raises leakage, compared to alternate mechanisms that require specific material or bias.

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