Negative differential resistance in a reverse-biased diode with inhomogeneous base

Abstract

The possibility of a negative differential resistance (NDR) region appearing in the reverse branch of the current-voltage characteristic of a semiconductor diode with a wide-bandgap layer in the base is theoretically predicted. The NDR formation is related to the fact that increasing reverse bias leads to a decrease in the thermal production of charge carriers in the narrow-bandgap part of the base (with a thickness on the order of the Debye screening length). It is shown that the NDR region appears, provided that the carrier lifetime in the diode base is determined by the Auger processes.