Hysteresis of conduction via impurities in uncompensated crystalline silicon in strong crossed electric and magnetic fields

It was observed that in uncompensated silicon in sufficiently strong crosse d electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields the conductivity sigma exhibits hyst eresis as a function of E with H=const and as a function of H with E=const. For the same values of E and H the conductivity can differ by a factor of 10(5). Weak pulses of a field E transfer the conductivity from one branch o f the hysteresis loop to another. Very low-intensity background radiation r adically changes the form of this loop. The results can be attributed to an insulator-metal transition stimulated in the D- band of silicon by a stron g electric field. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-3640(99)01 401-2].