SATURATION OF GENERATION-RECOMBINATION CURRENT FOR VERY SMALL RECOMBINATION TIMES

Analysis of the generation-recombination processes by numerical simula tion allows consideration of a very small recombination time constant in order to study the behavior of p-n junctions in this extreme situat ion. The generation-recombination current does not increase indefinite ly as the generation or recombination mechanism is more and more; acti ve. Instead, current saturation occurs as a result of the continuity e quation along with the generation-recombination expression. This gener ation-recombination current saturation takes place in any semiconducto r and establishes the maximum current limit that can be yielded by thi s mechanism. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.