Time-Domain Modeling of the Transient Response of a Back-To-Back Silicon Pin-Diode Passive Power-Limiter Circuit

We have developed a numerical procedure which allows us to solve the integro-differential equation driving the electrical behavior of a lumped-element circuit while accounting for the semiconductor component by means of a numerical semiconductor modeling. This modeling has been used to describe the whole transient response of a back-to-back silicon PIN-diode passive power-limiter circuit. To our knowledge it is the first time this kind of simulation is applied to a two-diode circuit. It is here demonstrated that in the present case of a 2 ¿m-long PIN-diode the high input-power steady-state operation only relies on one diode, while the two diodes are working under low input-power conditions.