Conduction breakdown in lightly doped p-type germanium.

Abstract

In Ge samples with net acceptor concentrations \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{12}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$, the hole concentration changes by four orders of magnitude in conduction breakdown at 4.2 K. The data are in good agreement with a hot-carrier model in which the process of impact ionization is in detailed balance with its inverse, Auger recombination.