Mutual Interaction between Microplasmas in Silicon <i>p-n</i> Junctions

Abstract

Mutual interaction between microplasmas in silicon p-n junctions was found to be present if the conducting time of microplasmas reaches the magnitude of 10−7−10−6 sec. Then a conducting microplasma may trigger the conduction of others. The resulting pulses show multistable levels. Several examples of such a pulse form, caused by the trigger process, are given. Measurements have shown that the microplasmas investigated do not lie close together and that a cluster form for microplasmas is not a necessary condition for a mutual interaction. A simultaneous, independent operation of several microplasmas was found to be very improbable if one or more of the working microplasmas reach pulse lengths of the order of 10−4−10−3 sec.