Multiphonon Ionization of Deep Centers in Amorphous Boron Nitride

Charge transport in amorphous boron nitride (BN) in a wide range of electric fields and temperatures has been experimentally considered. The method of quantitative comparison of the experiment and calculation of charge transport in BN is used to analyze the applicability of two models: the Frenkel effect and the multiphonon mechanism of trap ionization. It is found that the Frenkel effect qualitatively describes charge transport in BN. However, for such a description, it is necessary to use an unphysically small frequency factor of 4.3 × 10 11 s −1 . It is demonstrated that charge transport in BN is adequately described by the theory of multiphonon trap ionization. The thermal ( W T = 1.0 eV) and optical ( W_OPT = 2.0 eV) energies of the trap in BN have been determined.