Characterization of a Drift-Step-Recovery Diode Based on All Epi-Si Growth

Drift-step-recovery diodes (DSRDs) are fast-opening switches capable of delivering nanosecond-scale high-voltage (HV) pulses into a load. The HV capability is achieved by stacking DSRD dies in series. In this paper, we characterize a DSRD die based on silicon epitaxial layers, which was designed and manufactured at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center. In the static characterization, we have measured the diode's forward- and reverse-blocking voltages, and the junction capacitance. In the dynamic characterization, we have measured the peak voltage and its rise time for a single die, and up to a stack of 32 dies in series, where the stack was operated at current densities of up to ~1.3 kA/cm
²
. The shortest rise time was 0.65 ns from a stack of five dies. An HV increase of 250 V per die was obtained. The maximum measured peak voltage was 6.09 kV with a rise time of 2.2 ns, and these results being limited by the setup capability.