On 12 Feb 98 13:29:46 -0500, Tatyana Ishutkina wrote:

>                                          dioding effect
>                                          1:19 PM             2/12/98
>We use the in-house silicon strain gages to manufacture pressure transducers.
After we bond gold wires to these gages, we find a dioding effect that causes us
a lot of problems.
>Could you give me a start points for investigations. What is a nature of this
effect? Should I investigate the mechanical properties of silicon gages, or wire
bonding process, or something else?

Back in history, people used PbS crystals to make crude diodes for
"crystal radios".  Using these involved hunting around on the chunk of
PbS for a crystalline domain with a wire called a "cat's whisker".
You might wish to add a step in the bonding that ensures a greater
contact area than you are in fact getting.  If there are others in the
group who are better versed in construction of silicon diodes they may
be able to tell you how they failed to get them to work - which is what
you want.

-Greg

[email protected]