IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v397y1999i6718d10.1038_17040.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pattern formation in semiconductors

Author

Listed:
  • V. V. Bel'kov

    (Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg)

  • J. Hirschinger

    (Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg)

  • V. Novák

    (Institute of Electrical Engineering, AV ČR)

  • F.-J. Niedernostheide

    (Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg)

  • S.D. Ganichev

    (Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg)

  • W. Prettl

    (Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg)

Abstract

In semiconductors, nonlinear generation and recombination processes of free carriers and nonlinear charge transport can give rise to non-equilibrium phase transitions1, 2. At low temperatures, the basic nonlinearity is due to the autocatalytic generation of free carriers by impact ionization of shallow impurities. The electric field accelerates free electrons, causing an abrupt increase in free carrier density at a critical electric field. In static electric fields, this nonlinearity is known to yield complex filamentary current patterns bound to electric contacts3.

Suggested Citation

  • V. V. Bel'kov & J. Hirschinger & V. Novák & F.-J. Niedernostheide & S.D. Ganichev & W. Prettl, 1999. "Pattern formation in semiconductors," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6718), pages 398-398, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6718:d:10.1038_17040
    DOI: 10.1038/17040
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/17040
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/17040?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6718:d:10.1038_17040. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.