Pulse measurements of transient thermal response and temperature of avalanching p¿n junction

A method is presented for measuring the junction temperature and the transient thermal response of oscillator-mounted avalanche diodes; the method requires an exact knowledge of the temperature dependence of the diode breakdown voltage. The junction temperature can be measured with unchanged accuracy within the measured temperature range of the breakdown voltage. The transient response as close as a few microseconds after the initiation of the junction-temperature step can be measured.