The dependence on thickness of breakdown phenomena in thin dielectric films is considered, using the theory which attributes breakdown to electron ionization avalanche. On the basis of the electron‐lattice scattering mechanism in dielectric materials and the electron behaviour in the conduction band of the dielectric, the ionization avalanche probability is derived and the current density evaluated by considering the tunnel‐effect injection of electrons at the negative bias contact. It is assumed that breakdown occurs when the current density, at some point within the dielectric layer, reaches a particular value which depends upon the dielectric under consideration. The correlation between breakdown field strengths and thicknesses agrees satisfactorily with published experimental results. The results derived are applicable to an estimate of the temperature of electrons injected by a tunnel cathode of the metal‐dielectric‐metal type.

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