Siberian Federal University

In this work size effects and before-threshold mode of the solid state reaction in silver azide crystals were experimentally and theoretically researched. It was shown that if the crystal’s size decreases the critical initiation energy density considerably increases. This is because of the bigger speed of the electron-carriers’ recombination on the crystal surfaces in comparison with the same value for the bulk. Before-threshold mode of the solid state branched chain reaction can be observed if the energy of the initiation is smaller than the critical value; and the carriers’ diffusion length is comparable with the sample sizes or with the area there the initiating irradiation absorbed. The results of the research are necessary to work out the details of optical detonator