The tunneling characteristics of Cr/SiO2/Si structures in the thickness range 23–34 Å are reported. TheE‐&kgr; dependence in the energy range extending 3.5 eV below the oxide conduction band is determined by the thickness dependence to be approximately of the Franz form with an effective mass ratio of 0.42. Tunneling into the indirect conduction band of silicon is reduced by a thickness‐independent factor which decreases approximately exponentially with the energy below the direct band edge.