ON THE NEUTRON BOMBARDMENT REDUCTION OF TRANSISTOR CURRENT GAIN

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1960 · Journal of Applied Physics (U.S.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1735738· OSTI ID:4200888

Easley, J W; Dooley, J A

Detailed measurements of the fast neutron and gamma bombardment behavior of germanium-alloy-transistor current-gain were obtained concurrent with exposure. These data indicate that previously reported analyses, which lead to a linear dependence of common-base currentgain on fast neutron exposure, yield a good approximation for the npn device, but are not of general validity for the pnp germanium transistor. The extent of departure from the linear approximation depends on the width and conductivity of the base-region and can be appreciable in many cases of practical interest. For the pnp germanium transistor it is necessary to take additional account of both changes during bombardment of the minority-carrier recombination rate at bombardment introduced and initially present recombination centers and changes in the width of the collector junction depletion layer. Observed bombardment curves are in good agreement with an analysis which includes these effects. From initial slopes of the currentgain bombardment curves, values of the product of fast neutron-exposure times minority- carrier-lifetime at bombardment introduced recombination centers are 9.7 x 10/sup 7/ for 2.7 ohm-cm p-type and 14.2 x 10/sup 7/, 6.0 x 10/sup 7/, and 1.3 x l0/sup 7/, for 3.6 ohm-cm, 1.2 ohm-cm, and 0.2 ohm-cm n-type germanium, respectively, in units of sec-neutrons/ cm/sup 2/. (auth)

• Research Organization: Bell Telephone Labs., Inc., Whippany, N.J.; Wright Air Development Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-14-017049
• OSTI ID: 4200888
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics (U.S.), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics (U.S.) Vol. Vol: 31; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AMPLIFIERS
CARRIERS
CRYSTALS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRONS
FAST NEUTRONS
GAMMA RADIATION
GERMANIUM
GERMANIUM ALLOYS
JUNCTIONS
LATTICES
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
NEUTRON BEAMS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMICONDUCTORS
TRANSISTORS