Minority carrier injection and current–voltage characteristics of Schottky diodes at high injection level

• Transport phenomena in Schottky diodes at high injection level are analyzed.
• Analytical I–U Schottky diode characteristic at high injection level is derived.
• Voltage drop across Schottky diode depends on base doping at high injection level.
• The higher base doping level, the higher the voltage drop across a diode.

Transport phenomena in Schottky diodes are analyzed at high injection levels of minority carriers. It is shown that the correct description of these phenomena requires that the mode of diffusion stimulated by the quasi-neutral drift (DSQD) should be considered. An analytical expression for current–voltage characteristics of a Schottky diode at high injection levels is derived. The expression predicts a seemingly paradoxical result: the higher the base doping level, the higher the voltage drop across a diode at the same current density. The analytical results are confirmed by computer simulations. The results may be important for analyses of SiC Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes at very high current densities (surge current mode).