Abstract:
Ultrafast current switching by a silicon sharpener based on successive breakdown of structures has been experimentally implemented and theoretically studied. A voltage pulse with an amplitude of 180 kV and a rise time of 400 ps was applied to a semiconductor device containing 44 series-connected diode structures positioned in a 50-$\Omega$ transmission line. After device switching, pulses with an amplitude of 150 kV and a rise time of 100 ps were obtained in the transmission line. Numerical simulation showed that the electric field near the $p$–$n$ junction reaches the Zener breakdown threshold ($\sim$10$^6$ V/cm) at an input voltage rise rate of more than 4 $\times$ 10$^{13}$ V/s per structure achieved in the experiment, even when the diode structure contains technological impurities with deep ionization levels and a concentration of 10$^{11}$ cm$^{-3}$.
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