The Effective Carrier Ionization Coefficient in Silicon p-n Junctions at Breakdown†

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Abstract
The process of impact ionization in p-n junction diodes is controlled by the ionization coefficients of holes and electrons. At the point of breakdown the multiplication of carriers for both hole and electron initiated current becomes infinite and a single effective ionization coefficient may be defined, This factor is used in conjunction with the field distribution in abrupt and linearly graded junctions to determine the breakdown voltage of the p-n junction. The present analysis predicts a slightly higher breakdown voltage, at high fields, than previous determinations and the reason for this discrepancy is discussed.

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