Analytical Solutions of Pressure Effects upon Current Transmission across a Diode

Space-charge limiting of current transmission can be neutralized by introducing gas into the diode. The relationship between gas pressure and transmitted current is determined by a combination of several basic physical processes. A model that can predict experimental observations over a wide range of pressures is utilized to show which processes dominate current transmission in various pressure ranges of interest. The quantitative analytical solutions of this model can be correlated with experimental results to yield effective values for secondary electron production, secondary electron drift velocity, electron range effects, and ionization avalanche. Figure 1 shows a typical diode geometry.