Thermal runaway is the primary reason that the semiconductor industry uses silicon over germanium. If I recall my semiconductor physics education correctly, the reason that germanium suffers from thermal runaway more so than silicon is due to the fact that germanium has a much smaller band-gap, whilst this makes germanium highly suitable for sensitive infra-red applications it means that thermal effects are exacerbated - thus the self-destructive thermal runaway effect.Gadget said:It is also much more stable at higher operating temperatures, and it is much easier to control any "Thermal Runaway"....
by Aaron Carman
by Jake Hertz
by Jake Hertz