Heterojunction Al/SiO₂/n-Si Device as an Auger Transistor

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the investigation of current instabilities in the Al-Si0 ₂ - n-Si Auger, transistor. We succeeded for the first time in creating of the Auger transistor, in which in particular we used a metal-insulator heterojunction instead of a widegap semiconductor. The Auger transistor base is created by the holes, which are induced on silicon surface by electric field that exists in the thin oxide layer and is formed as a self-consistent quantum well near the n-silicon surface. The base width’ is about 10 Å and the well depth is equal up to 0.7 eV or even higher. The generation of electron-hole pairs by impact ionization (Auger generation) is the fastest physical process in semiconductors, which can be used for amplification and generation of electric signals. The impact ionization and drift regions are practically separated in the Auger transistor. The electron-hole pairs are generated in the transistor base and partly in the collector. The Sand N-type instabilities of the collector current in the Auger transistor in the case of circuit with a common emitter were investigated.