Abstract:
Numerical simulations of picosecond-range avalanche sharpening diodes commutating fast-rising high-voltage pulses of submicrosecond duration is performed. It is demonstrated that the maximum duration of the commutated pulse is limited by physical phenomena related to the structure transition to the double avalanche injection mode but not by the drift extraction of nonequilibrium electron-hole plasma. Double avalanche injection is in principle capable of supporting the diode structure in the conducting state after switching. However, negative differential conductivity that is attributed to the double injection mode cause transverse instability of uniform current flow and isothermal current filamentation.
Keywords:impact ionization, subnanosecond switches, avalanche injection, current instabilities.
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