Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1992

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Physics

Volume

71

Issue

9

Pages

4354-4357

DOI

10.1063/1.351365

Abstract

The dark current characteristics of gallium arsenide doped with silicon and compensated with diffused copper were found to have a pronounced region of current controlled negative differential conductivity (ndc) similar to the characteristics of a thyristor. The resistivity of the semi‐insulating semiconductor was measured to be 105 Ω cm for applied voltages up to 2.2 kV, which corresponds to an average electric field of 38 kV/cm. At higher voltages, a transition to a stable high current state was observed with a current rate of rise exceeding 1011 A/s. There is evidence of the formation of at least one current filament during this transition. A theoretical model based on drift diffusion and boundary conditions that allows double carrier injection at the contacts has been used to show that the observed negative differential resistance is due to the filling of deep copper acceptors. The model also shows that the ndc curves may be tailored by adjusting the copper concentration. Doping of GaAs with various concentrations of copper was shown to change the dark current characteristics in a way predicted by the model.

Comments

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics, 71 (9) 4354-4357 and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.351365.

Original Publication Citation

Roush, R. A., Schoenbach, K. H., & Brinkmann, R. P. (1992). Bistable behavior of the dark current in copper‐doped semi‐insulating gallium arsenide. Journal of Applied Physics, 71(9), 4354-4357. doi:10.1063/1.351365

ORCID

0000-0001-7867-7773 (Schoenbach)

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