Description of the Spectrum of Natural Noise in Semiconductor Diodes Based on the Modified Van Der Ziel Relation

• Published in: Radiophysics and quantum electronics 2015-05, Vol.57 (12), p.891-899
• Main Authors: Klyuev, A. V., Shmelev, E. I., Yakimov, A. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Charge; Coefficients; Diodes; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Lasers; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Noise; Noise measurement; Nonlinearity; Nuclear Physics; Observations and Techniques; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Optics; Shot; Theorems; Theoretical; Thermodynamics
• ISSN: 0033-8443; 1573-9120
• DOI: 10.1007/s11141-015-9573-6

In this work, we study the spectrum S i D of natural (thermal and shot) current noise of the p-n junction and the Schottky barrier in the case where their current-voltage characteristic has a nonideality coefficient η exceeding unity. The results obtained with the help of a special experimental setup are presented and explained using an equivalent scheme, which takes into account the presence of the series resistance of the diode base and contacts, as well as the possibility of existence of the leakage current. It is theoretically proven and experimentally confirmed that the van der Ziel relation S i D = 2 q ( I D + 2 I s ), which is used for calculating the current-noise spectrum of an “ideal” junction with η = 1, cannot be used for η > 1 (here, q is the elementary charge, I D is the current across the junction, and I s is the junction saturation current). The previously obtained results are generalized using the Gupta theorem for the thermal-noise spectrum in the nonlinear resistive systems and are confirmed experimentally. It is found that the noise-current spectrum is given by the formula S i D = (2 q / η ) ( I D + 2 I s ), which is a modification of the van der Ziel relation for the case of an arbitrary value of the nonideality coefficient. The obtained formula for S i D is experimentally tested by measuring the noise spectrum of the δ -doped Schottky diode, which is in thermodynamic equilibrium with the surrounding medium.