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Title: Steady State Properties of Lock-On Current Filaments in GaAs

Journal Article · · IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/27.901221· OSTI ID:752060

Collective impact ionization has been used to explain lock-on in semi-insulating GaAs under high-voltage bias. The authors have used this theory to study some of the steady state properties of lock-on current filaments. In steady state, the heat gained from the field is exactly compensated by the cooling due to phonon scattering. In the simplest approximation, the carrier distribution approaches a quasi-equilibrium Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. In this report they examine the validity of this approximation. They find that this approximation leads to a filament carrier density which is much lower than the high density needed to achieve a quasiequilibrium distribution. Further work on this subject is in progress.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
752060
Report Number(s):
SAND2000-0511J; ITPSBD; TRN: US0302681
Journal Information:
IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Other Information: PBD: 29 Feb 2000; ISSN 0093-3813
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English