Modulating the secondary electron emission coefficient at the base-collector interface of the plasma bipolar junction transistor

Temporally and spatially-resolved images of the visible emission generated by the gas phase collector of an n+pn plasma bipolar junction transistor (PBJT) demonstrate the ability of the emitter-base (EB) bias to modulate the effective secondary electron emission coefficient, γSE, at the base-collector interface. Injecting charge carriers into, or withholding free electrons from, the base of a PBJT (with forward or reverse bias of the EB junction) is found to vary γSE and the collector plasma electron density by factors of 1.8–3.6 and 3.8–6.7, respectively.