Drift velocity of electrons in silicon at high electric fields from 4.2° to 300°K

The drift velocity of electrons in silicon at high electric fields is measured in the direction over the range of lattice temperatures from 4.2° to 300°K. It is established that in this range a limiting drift velocity exists. Its temperature dependence is measured. The samples used and the method of measurement are briefly described

Differential Step Response of Unipolar Space-Charge-Limited Current in Solids

The small signal step response of unipolar space‐charge‐limited current in solids is analyzed for planar structures and for media in which the drift velocity of the charge carriers is either proportional to the electric field (thermal charge carriers) or is independent of the electric field (hot charge carriers). Results are reported in analytical and graphical form. Their features are discussed in terms of the underlying physical phenomena, as well as in the perspective of experimental applications. Cylindrical and spherical structures are not accessible to closed‐form solutions by the approach

Absorption in quantum electrodynamics cavities in terms of a quantum jump operator

We describe the absorption by the walls of a quantum electrodynamics cavity as a process during which the elementary excitations (photons) of an internal mode of the cavity exit by tunneling through the cavity walls. We estimate by classical methods the survival time of a photon inside the cavity and the quality factor of its mirrors

X-ray rocking curve study of Si-implanted GaAs, Si, and Ge

Crystalline properties of Si-implanted GaAs, Si, and Ge have been studied by Bragg case double-crystal x-ray diffraction. Sharp qualitative and quantitative differences were found between the damage in GaAs on one hand and Si and Ge on the other. In Si and Ge the number of defects and the strain increase linearly with dose up to the amorphous threshold. In GaAs the increase in these quantities is neither linear nor monotonic with dose. At a moderate damage level the GaAs crystal undergoes a transition from elastic to plastic behavior. This transition is accompanied by the creation of extended defects, which are not detected in Si or Ge

Interfacial strain in AlxGa1–xAs layers on GaAs

Detailed analysis of x-ray rocking curves was used to determine the depth profile of strain and composition in a 2500-Å-thick layer of AlxGa1–xAs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on 100 GaAs. The x value and layer thickness were in good agreement with the values expected from growth parameters. The presence of a transition region, 280 Å thick, was detected by the rocking curve. In this region, the Al concentration varies smoothly from 0 to 0.87. Measurement and control of the sharpness of such interfaces has important implications for heterojunction devices

Measurement of the drift velocity of holes in silicon at high-field strengths

A method is presented which allows the measurement of the velocity-field relationship of charge carriers in a semiconductor. The device used is a four-layer structure. The mode of operation is based on the injection by punch-through of charge carriers into a long depleted region. The velocity can be determined from the VI characteristic of the device and its geometry. Drift velocity saturation is indicated directly by the form of the characteristic. The method has been applied to the measurement of the high-field velocity of holes in silicon. Technological limitations restricted the measurements to fields above 4 · 10^4 V/cm. From this value up to 11 · 10^4 V/cm the hole velocity is found to be constant and equal to 7.5 · 10^6 cm/s ± 5%

Wet oxidation of GeSi at (700)C

About 500-nm-thick films of Ge0.36Si0.64 and Ge0.28Si0.72 grown epitaxially on (100)Si have been oxidized at 700-degrees-C in wet ambient. A uniform GexSi1-xO2 oxide layer forms with a smooth interface between it and the unoxidized GexSi1-x layer below. The composition and structure of that layer remains unchanged as monitored by backscattering spectrometry or cross-sectional transmission electronic microscopy. The oxide of both samples grows as square root of oxidation duration. The parabolic rate constant increases with the Ge content and is larger than that for wet oxidation of pure Si at the same temperature. The absence of a regime of linear growth at this relatively low temperature indicates a much enhanced linear rate constant