Monte Carlo simulation of impact-ionization-induced breakdown and current filamentation in δ-doped GaAs

B. Kehrer, W. Quade, and E. Schöll
Phys. Rev. B 51, 7725 – Published 15 March 1995
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Abstract

We present Monte Carlo simulations of impact-ionization-induced impurity breakdown in n-GaAs at 4.2 K with dopants arranged in parallel monoatomic planes (δ doping). ssS-shaped current-field characteristics are obtained by a direct single-particle Monte Carlo simulation for homogeneously doped material. For δ-doped GaAs we calculate the spatial distribution of the carrier density, mean electron energy, and space-charge field self-consistently as a function of time by a weighted ensemble Monte Carlo method. For initial values on the low-conductivity branch of the ssS-shaped characteristics we find that current filaments centered around the δ-doped layers are formed. Our simulations explain the experimentally observed shrinking of the bistable regime as well as its shift to lower voltages as compared to homogeneous material.

  • Received 18 October 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.51.7725

©1995 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

B. Kehrer, W. Quade, and E. Schöll

  • Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany

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Vol. 51, Iss. 12 — 15 March 1995

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