Warm-Carrier dc Transport in n Si

Abstract

Measurements of the dc current density at 77 °K lattice temperature vs electric field for 26‐Ω cm n Si are presented and analyzed to determine the amount of repopulation when the field is applied in the $\text{〈100〉}$ and $\text{〈110〉}$ crystallographic directions. A relatively simple and straight‐forward technique for computing the energy‐relaxation‐time dependence on the electric field is proposed and applied to n Si. The electron temperatures vs electric field for several differently oriented conduction‐band minima are also calculated. An explanation for the previously observed but unexplained decrease in amount of repopulation above 400 V/cm is given. A new technique for computing the theoretical repopulation‐field dependence is also presented and found to give excellent agreement with the experimental results. A theory similar to that used in past literature, but more general, is used in the following experimental determination of the warm‐carrier repopulation in n Si.