A transient component in the breakdown voltage of silicon p-n junction rectifiers

A transient component in the breakdown voltage of silicon n
⁺
-p junctions, at the onset of breakdown in the region of intermittent microplasma conduction, has been studied. The rates of transition from initial to final values of V
B
have been found to be proportional to the relative on-time of the microplasma pulses, and the magnitude of the change in V
B
reaches a maximum at the temperature at which the position of the equilibrium Fermi level coincides with the energy level of the trapping centers. The effect is explained on the basis of the filling of traps during microplasma conduction, thus changing the net ionized impurity concentration and hence the breakdown voltage.