The mechanism and electrical breakage of a shottky diode

[fastelec]

Help with shottky diode

What is exact meshanism of electrical breakage of a shottky diode?
I mean from phisical point of view.What happens inside crystal structure high
current passes through diode

 

[electronrancher]

Help with shottky diode

i thought schottkies avalanched - ie electric field due to reverse voltage is so high that it begins to strip electrons off the lattice. these accelerate until they hit other atoms, then breaking off more carriers to add to the avalanche.

it's worse if the device has square edges on the schottky contact, as the field is intensified at corners.