Kinetic theory of impact ionization in semiconductors

Selected Papers of Leonid V Keldysh, pp. 23-32 (2023) No AccessKinetic theory of impact ionization in semiconductorsL. V. KeldyshL. V. KeldyshP. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Academy of Sciences, U.S.S.R., Russiahttps://doi.org/10.1142/9789811279461_0004Cited by:0 (Source: Crossref) PreviousNext AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract: The effect of impact ionization processes on the distribution function for electrons and holes in a strong electric field is studied. It is shown that the energy dependence of the impact ionization probability near the threshold is essentially different for crystals with small and high dielectric constants; the solution of the kinetic equation is considered in both these cases. Expressions are obtained for the equilibrium number of carriers in a strong field, the impact-ionization coefficient, the critical field, etc. The dependence of the breakdown field on temperature, on specimen thickness, and on the electron-lattice interaction law is found. The connection of the expressions obtained with the known breakdown criteria of Fröhlich and Hippel is established. It is shown that increasing the electric field causes a decrease in the recombination speed, as a result of which the equilibrium number of carriers starts growing as the field increases long before the appearance of impact ionization. FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Recommended Selected Papers of Leonid V KeldyshMetrics History PDF download