Properties of Gallium Arsenide Diodes between 4.2° and 300°K

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Abstract
The current‐voltage characteristics of zinc‐diffused gallium arsenide diodes have been measured between 4.2° and 300°K, with carrier concentrations in the n‐type region varying from 6×1015 to 9×1018 cm−3. In the forward direction it is shown that the current is due to tunneling at low temperatures and high carrier concentrations whereas it arises from thermal processes involving recombination in the space‐charge region at higher temperatures and low carrier concentrations. The temperature at which the current changes from predominantly tunneling to predominantly thermal in origin has been determined as a function of the n‐type carrier concentration. In the reverse direction the current in these diodes appears to be dominated by tunneling at all temperatures and doping densities tested.