Ultrafast current switching using the tunneling-assisted impact ionization front in a silicon semiconductor closing switch

Ultrafast current switching in semiconductors, based on the mechanism of tunneling-assisted impact ionization front, has been experimentally implemented and theoretically studied. A voltage pulse with an amplitude of 220 kV and a front duration of 1 ns was applied to a semiconductor device containing 20 serially connected silicon diode structures. After switching, 150-to 160-kV pulses with a power of 500 MW, a pulse duration of 1.4 ns, and a front duration of 200–250 ps were obtained in a 50-Ω transmission line. The maximum current and voltage buildup rates amounted to 10 kA/ns and 500 kV/ns, respectively, at a switched current density of 13 kA/cm². The results of numerical simulation are presented, which show that the current switching is initiated at a threshold field strength of about 1 MV/cm in the vicinity of the p-n junction, where the tunneling-assisted impact ionization begins.