Topic
Avalanche breakdown
About: Avalanche breakdown is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3024 publications have been published within this topic receiving 50504 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
22 Apr 1991
TL;DR: In this article, the avalanche breakdown voltage of silicon on insulator (SOI) lateral diodes is investigated theoretically and experimentally, and it is shown that, for SOI thicknesses below about 1 mu m, diode breakdown voltage increases with decreasing SOI layer thickness.
Abstract: The avalanche breakdown voltage of silicon on insulator (SOI) lateral diodes is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Theoretically, a condition is derived for achieving a uniform lateral electric field and thus optimizing the breakdown voltage. Using this condition, it is shown that, for SOI thicknesses below about 1 mu m, diode breakdown voltage increases with decreasing SOI layer thickness. Experimentally, breakdown voltages in excess of 700 V have been demonstrated for the first time on diodes having approximately 0.1- mu m-thick SOI layers and 2- mu m-thick buried oxide layers. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of making high-voltage thin-film SOI LDMOS transistors and, more importantly, the ability to integrate such devices with high-performance ultra-thin SOI CMOS circuits on a single chip. >
222 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the band bending for avalanche breakdown in semiconductor junctions and its temperature dependence are predicted taking account of threshold energy effects on the ionization process in semiconductors, where experimental results and theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement.
Abstract: The band bending for avalanche breakdown in semiconductor junctions and its temperature dependence are predicted taking account of threshold energy effects on the ionization process in semiconductors. Where experimental results exist, the theoretical predictions and experimental results are in excellent agreement. In the high electric field region inclusion of both bulk and boundary threshold energy effects is essential. The predictions were based on exact solutions in the nonlocalized ionization coefficient formulation developed by Okuto and Crowell who showed that ionization coefficients as usually understood are functions of both electric field and position in a device. Predictions for abrupt and p - i - n junctions in Ge, Si, GaAs and GaP are presented.
221 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relation between the output lowering due to shaded PV cells and the change of I-V characteristics, utilizing the computer simulation and proved that I-v characteristics are changed by the condition of the shadow, which covered the module.
218 citations
TL;DR: An empirical formula for the ionization coefficient given by α = CEg (C and g constants, E electric field) and which is considered as a common effective value for both holes and electrons yields tractable expressions for the breakdown voltages of abrupt and graded silicon pn junctions.
Abstract: An empirical formula for the ionization coefficient given by α = CEg (C and g constants, E electric field) and which is considered as a common effective value for both holes and electrons yields tractable expressions for the breakdown voltages of abrupt and graded silicon pn junctions. Numerical values compare favourably with breakdown voltages obtained from expressions which, though derived from α values of a more theoretical lineage are considerably more involved and not so readily incorporated in comprehensive device design calculations.
216 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that transistors having thin, lightly doped collector regions are particularly susceptible to avalanche injection, which suggests that some compromise may be necessary in the design of high-frequency power transistors.
Abstract: A rapid type of second breakdown observed in silicon n+-p-n-n+transistors is shown to be due to avalanche injection at the collector n-n+junction. Localized thermal effects, which are usually associated With second breakdown, are shown to play a minor role in the initiation of the transition to the low voltage state. A useful tool in the analysis of avalanche injection is the n+-n-n+diode, which exhibits negative resistance at a critical voltage and current. A close correspondence between the behavior of the diode and the transistor (open base) is established both theoretically and experimentally. Qualitative agreement with the proposed model is obtained for both directions of base current flow. It is shown that transistors having thin, lightly doped collector regions are particularly susceptible to avalanche injection, which suggests that some compromise may be necessary in the design of high-frequency power transistors.
214 citations