Tunnel Currents in the Photo-Field Detectors and the Auger Transistor under Strong Electric Field
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Tunnel Currents in the Photo-Field Detectors and the Auger Transistor under Strong Electric Field Vladimir D. Kalganov1, Nina V. Mileshkina1, Elena V. Ostroumova and Ekaterina A. Rogacheva Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, 26 Polytechnicheskaja, St.-Petersburg, 194021, RUSSIA. 1 Institute of Physics, St.Petersburg State University, 1 Ulianivskaja, Petrodvoretz, 198904, RUSSIA; ABSTRACT The photo-field emission properties of semiconductors at a very strong electric field together with tunnel electron emission in metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructures with a tunneltransparent layer of an insulator was studied. It was found that a self-consistent quantum well near the surface of semiconductor emitter tips can change the spectral region of photosensitivity of the radiation semiconductor field emitter detectors, and leads to the significant increase in their photosensitivity [1]. Also the appearance of a self-consistent quantum well near the semiconductor surface is the key factor which allows to use the metal-insulator heterojunction in the development of an Auger transistor based on the Al-SiO2-n-Si structure - the fastest operation semiconductor bipolar transistor [2-4]. Conditions for appearance of a self-consistent quantum well under strong electric field in both the near-surface region of a vacuum semiconductor field-emitter and metal-insulatorsemiconductor heterostructures (Auger transistor) were studied also. INTRODUCTION
The tunnel currents in metal-insulator-semiconductor structures with a tunnel-transparent layer of insulator (Auger transistor) as well as photo-field emission currents from semiconductor tips under a very strong electric field were studied. In the Al-SiO2-n-Si Auger transistor we used a metal-insulator heterojunction as an emitter instead of a widegap semiconductor. The transistor's base was induced by strong electric field as a self-consistent quantum well for minority carriers near the surface. The formation of the self-consistent quantum well alters the spectral characteristics and increases photosensitivity of photo-field detectors. Also, the selfconsistent quantum well controls tunnel currents through the oxide and the Auger transistor gain coefficient. Realization of quantum size effect at semiconductor surface for field emission electrons through surface potential barriers to vacuum is presented for the first time. In considered structures an electric field of up to 3-5.107V/cm of any direction can be applied to the semiconductor surface. The electric field's strength is the same for semiconductor tips and for Auger transistor, so it is possible to observe both metal-to-semiconductor and the semiconductor-to-metal tunnel electron emissions. Hot electrons are injected into silicon with kinetic energy higher than the impact ionization threshold. The new generated electron-hole pairs determine the amplification of the Auger transistor. The impact ionization is the fastest of all known physical processes in the bipolar transistors, with char
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