Title :
Electrothermal oscillations of a PN junction operating in avalanche breakdown region
Author :
Brambilla, Angelo ; Premoli, Amedeo
Author_Institution :
Dipt. di Elettronica e Inf., Milan Univ., Italy
Abstract :
We consider a simple circuit composed of a diode operating in the avalanche breakdown region (ABR), a capacitor and a constant current source. Through a nonlinear analysis, we show the existence of oscillations caused by the combined action of thermal and electrical behaviors of the device. This analysis is confirmed by simulations and experiments.
Keywords :
avalanche breakdown; p-n junctions; semiconductor device breakdown; semiconductor diodes; PN junction diode; avalanche breakdown region; capacitor; constant current source; electrothermal oscillation; Avalanche breakdown; Capacitors; Circuits; Diodes; Electric variables control; Electrothermal effects; Power dissipation; Temperature control; Thermal variables control; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
