Characteristics of diode temperature sensors which exhibit Mott conduction in low-temperature region

Abstract

Heavily doped silicon diodes of n ++-p + type which exhibit the Mott temperature dependence of the forward current in a certain range of bias voltages and low temperatures have studied from the point of their use as temperature sensors. In the region of hopping conduction, the operating signal of diodes U (T) (U is a voltage drop across the diode during the passage of a constant current, T is the temperature) reproduces the Mott law (with opposite sign in the exponent), and the temperature sensitivity of such sensors after passing through a minimum (as the temperature is lowered) increases again up to the values typical of room temperature.