Non-Gaussian effects in 1/f noise in small silicon-on-sapphire resistors

Several models for 1/f noise in silicon which give identical predictions for noise spectra were found to give distinct predictions for non-Gaussian effects as shown by Monte Carlo simulations. Measurements on silicon-on-sapphire resistors ranging in area to less than 1 (m)2 revealed both non-Gaussian effects and sample-to-sample spectral variations. The results were qualitatively similar to those expected for a simple superposition of two-level trapping systems and dissimilar to those for a random walk in a random potential. However, some random modulation of some of the two-level systems was found.