Impact ionization coefficients in GaInP p–i–n diodes

Impact ionization coefficients have been deduced from photomultiplication measurements performed on Ga0.52In0.48P p–i–n diodes with nominal intrinsic region thicknesses of 1 .0, 0.7, and 0.2 μm. The results indicate that β, the hole ionization coefficient, is slightly greater than α, the electron ionization coefficient at low fields, and they both become effectively equal at high fields. α and β are also found to be significantly lower than GaAs across the range of electric fields studied, with correspondingly higher breakdown voltages.