Fast recovery and low Vf Characteristics on SiGe/Si/Si pin diodes

Fast recovery characteristics can be obtained in the SiGe/Si/Si pin diodes compared to the conventional Si pin diodes without any intentional lifetime controls into the i-layer. This technique also makes little change in the on-state voltage drop (V_f), which suggests the low power dissipation with the fast operation in the switching circuits. It is highly possible that the thin SiGe p layer with the suppressed minority carrier lifetime enhances the diffusion current in the SiGe pin diode, where the stored minority carrier effectively decreases in the Si i-layer. It is also possible that the recombination of minority carrier at the interface of the SiGe and the metal layers increases the diffusion current in the pin diode.