High electric field effects in n-silicon

The velocity‐field curve and the electron avalanche coefficient α(E) have been experimentally determined in bulk n‐Si, at T=300°K, for fields up to 1×10⁵ V/cm. Because of velocity saturation it has been necessary to take into account space‐charge‐induced nonuniformities in field and carrier density. The velocity‐field curve is in good agreement with the time‐of‐flight results of Norris and Gibbons. The avalanche coefficient α(E) agrees with the experimental results of Lee et al. in p‐n junctions, but disagrees with the results of Ogawa. From a comparison of the experiments with the theory of Baraff, the values of the electron phonon mean‐free‐path parameter λ and the ionization energy parameter ${\mathcal{E}}_i$ have been found to be within the ranges 60<λ<80 Å and ${\mathcal{E}}_g<{\mathcal{E}}_i\text{< 1.5}{\mathcal{E}}_g$ .