INFLUENCE OF TRAPPING LEVELS ON THE BISTABLE STATE OF MICROPLASMAS IN GERMANIUM p-n JUNCTIONS.

Investigation was made of the influence of trapping levels on the bistable state of microplasmas in germanium p-n junctions between 77-230 K. During the initial stage of the existence of the bistable state the microplasma turn-on probability depended on the probability P//B of initiation of an avalanche by a carrier liberated from a trapping level. When the overvoltage was increased to give P//B equals 1, the microplasma turn-on probability became independent of the overvoltage and the time constant of the trapping levels became equal to the average microplasma turn-off time. The latter observation was used as the basis of a method for estimating the activation energy of the trapping levels located in a microplasma region. The activation energy was determined experimentally.