Temperature Effects in Semiconductor Avalanches.
Abstract
The effects of temperature on the dc, transient and high frequency behavior of a semiconductor avalanche have been studied. These studies have been applied to a Read diode to reveal the temperature limitation on device performance. The dc and transient cases are studied in a one-dimensional model by including the temperature dependence of the ionization rates and saturation current. Impact ionization induced thermal instability at moderate current densities is found in this one-dimensional model. This thermal instability leads to current filament formation and second breakdown observed in silicon junction. From a device point of view, the controllability of this instability can be an advantage in the improvement of device performance. The effects of temperature upon the high frequency behavior of an avalanche are to reduce the magnitude of the avalanche current and the phase angle between the avalanche current and the field excitation. These effects on the avalanche process are of equal importance in evaluating the performance of the diode as are the effects due to space charge. By including temperature effects in the diode performance calculation, for a more realistic evaluation, power and efficiency are shown to be reduced but the stability is improved. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0871989
Entities
People
- Chih-chung Wang
Organizations
- Cornell University College of Engineering