Hot-electron noise features in silicon crystals operating under periodic signals

Abstract

We study the intrinsic noise in n-type Si crystals operating under high-frequency periodic electric fields. To simulate the dynamics of electrons in the bulk, by taking into account the main details of band structure, scattering processes, as well as heating effects, a Monte Carlo approach is used. The noise properties are investigated by computing the velocity fluctuations correlation function, its spectral density, and the total noise power for different values of the amplitude and frequency of the driving field. We show that the noise features are significantly affected by the electric field amplitude and frequency and discuss their peculiarities in comparison with those exhibited in the static field case. We find the integrated spectral density, i. e. the total noise power, monotonically reducing its value with the increase of the field frequency, for each amplitude of the applied field. These results can be considered a first step towards a full understanding of the physical characteristics of electronic noise in Si devices, driven by periodic electric fields, relevant, for example, for harmonic generation purposes.