High current characteristics of asymmetrical p-i-n diodes having low forward voltage drops

A closed form solution for the forward characteristics of a very asymmetrical step-junction p-i-n diode at high current levels is derived and discussed. It is found that the forward voltage decreases significantly when the amount of the impurities per unit area of one of the highly doped regions is reduced. The theory is confirmed by experiment, and the diodes obtained show a low forward loss together with high reverse blocking voltage and fast reverse recovery.