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Hot-Electron Transistors

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Physics of High-Speed Transistors

Part of the book series: Microdevices ((MDPF))

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Abstract

Hot electrons and holes in semiconductors are those having higher kinetic energy than some equilibrium value

$$ E_0 \, \approx \,3/2 $$

kT. For the sake of brevity we will confine our examination to the case of hot electrons, although the same phenomena occur in the hole gas in semiconductors. Electrons can be heated by various means; for example, by an electric field, by optical excitation, and by injection through a heterojunction. However, depending upon how the heating is accomplished, the electrons distribution function with respect to velocity or energy may have a qualitatively different form. In principle, the kinetic energy of an electron can be increased two ways: by increasing its drift velocity, e.g., by accelerating it in an electric field or by increasing its random velocity or temperature; e.g., simply heating the semiconductor. In the first case the electron distribution function looks like a shifted Maxwellian distribution or even a δ-function. In the second case the distribution function is nearly Maxwellian but, as a rule, the electron gas has a higher equilibrium temperature [1, 2]. In actual situations both methods for heating electrons will be realized, but one will be dominant. The physics of a semiconductor transistor’s operation will change, depending on which mechanism dominates.

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  1. Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Juras Požela

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Požela, J. (1993). Hot-Electron Transistors. In: Physics of High-Speed Transistors. Microdevices. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1242-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1242-8_7

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