Abstract
It is shown that a wide band-gap crystal, appropriately doped, can exhibit semiconducting properties. When a dc voltage was applied to a lithium-doped MgO single crystal containing [Li${]}^{0}$ centers, negative differential resistance, self-excited current oscillations, and filament-driven current were observed. The conductivity increase and the nonlinear behavior of the I-V characteristics are described by an impact ionization mechanism. Avalanche breakdown can be produced with low electric fields at moderate temperatures (\ensuremath{\sim}373 K), which eventually leads to electrical breakdown. We postulate that filamentary semiconducting inclusions imbedded in the insulator matrix are responsible for the electrical degradation.
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