Non-Gaussian conductivity fluctuations in semiconductors

Abstract

A theoretical study is presented on the statistical properties of conductivity fluctuations caused by concentration and mobility fluctuations of the current carriers. It is established that mobility fluctuations result from random deviations in the thermal equilibrium distribution of the carriers. It is shown that mobility fluctuations have generation–recombination and shot components which do not satisfy the requirements of the central limit theorem, in contrast to the current carrier's concentration fluctuation and intraband component of the mobility fluctuation. It is shown that in general the mobility fluctuation consist of thermal (or intraband) Gaussian and non-thermal (or generation–recombination, shot, etc.) non-Gaussian components. The analyses of theoretical results and experimental data from literature show that the statistical properties of mobility fluctuation and of 1/ f-noise fully coincide. The deviation from Gaussian statistics of the mobility or 1/ f fluctuations goes hand in hand with the magnitude of non-thermal noise (generation–recombination, shot, burst, pulse noises, etc.).