Hexagonal structures of current in a “semiconductor–gas-discharge gap” system

The results of experimental investigation of the stability boundary for a spatially homogeneous state of a discharge in the planar gap of a “semiconductor–gas-discharge” cryogenic system filled with nitrogen are considered. The semiconductor cathode was prepared from single-crystalline silicon doped with a deep-lying impurity. Quantitative data are obtained for the conditions of formation of a hexagonal dissipative structure in the current distribution for two values of the discharge gap length upon a change in the gas pressure and in the conductivity of the cathode. It is found that for a fixed gap length, the formation of the critical state can be described approximately by a universal function of the electrode conductivity and gas pressure.