The Transition from Generation-Recombination Noise in Bulk Semiconductors to Discrete Switching in Small-Area Semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper explores the transition from bulk generation-recombination noise to discrete switching noise in small-area semiconductors, linking noise spectra to trap dynamics and simulating pulse patterns similar to experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a unified description of g-r noise via elementary pulses and demonstrates the transition to discrete switching as the number of traps decreases to one.

Findings

G-r bulk noise can be modeled as a sequence of elementary pulses.

Transition to discrete switching occurs with a single active trap.

Simulated pulse patterns resemble those observed in MOSFETs.

Abstract

The master-equation approach provides generation-recombination (g-r) noise in bulk semiconductors in terms of parameters of conduction electrons. It is shown that the g-r bulk noise can also be described by the random succession of elementary g-r pulses. This enables g-r bulk noise to be interpreted in terms of the numbers of traps. The transition from g-r bulk noise to discrete switching in small-area semiconductors is found by reducing the number of traps to just one single active trap. The resulting g-r noise spectrum is shown to be equivalent to Machlups noise spectrum. The probability of an overlap of succeeding g-r pulses is calculated. Such an overlap is attributed to the occupation of an empty single trap by an electron transferred from a neighboring trap. Simulating a g-r pulse train we find a large variety of patterns similar to those observed in MOSFETs. Excluding overlapping g-r pulses, the up and down distribution of succeeding g-r pulses is estimated.