Effect of Stress on Germanium and Silicon p-n Junctions II. Non-Exhausted Condition

Abstract

The theory of the stress dependence of the diode current in the exhausted condition, developed previously, is extended to that in the non-exhausted condition. The current changes due to stress are calculated for the main crystallographic orientations by taking into account the changes in the minority carrier concentrations and in the minority carrier mobilities. The changes in the minority carrier concentrations are calculated by taking into account the shifts in the shallow impurity levels. The results of the exhausted condition are also valid in the non-exhausted condition at room temperature. At lower temperatures, in general, the stress dependence of the minority electron concentration np overcomes that of the minority hole concentration pn. In Si, the stress dependence of the diode current of the diode in which np is much greater than pn, is larger than that of the diode in which pn is much greater than np.