Physics of Semiconductor Devices

Currents

There are four currents to consider at the interface between two materials (like at a pn-junction or a Schottky contact). These four currents caused by thermionic emission, diffusion, drift, and tunneling.

a) In which cases is the tunnel current important?

b) What kinds of current are most important for a pn-junction and for a Schottky diode?

c) What is a diffusion current?

d) Usually the thermionic emission current in a pn-junction is ignored because it is small. How would it be calculated?