High-field properties of n-InP under high pressure

Abstract The high electric field properties of n -InP at 300 K have been studied as a function of pressure. Hydrostatic measurements are made in a piston and cylinder apparatus, using a liquid pressure-transmitting medium. The threshold fields ( E T ) for transferred electron instabilities range from 7.5 to 8.5 kV/cm at atmospheric pressure. The resistivity of the samples increases with increasing pressure. The most reliable results show that E T increases slightly with pressure below 40 kbar. This behavior can be explained qualitatively in terms of possible band structure changes. By using known variations of parameters such as effective mass and sub-band energy gaps, detailed theoretical calculations are carried out to fit the data and to determine the correct mode of operation (two- or three-level operation). The results are also compared with analogous experiments on GaAs.