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EP0068064A1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Semiconductor circuit including a resonant quantum mechanical tunnelling triode device

Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1982-01-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-01-12
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Abstract

Abstract A semiconductor circuit includes a triode device (1) wherein majority carrier transport is by quantum mechanical resonant tunnelling through two barriers. The device is constructed of three layers (2, 3, 4) of the same conductivity type monocrystalline semiconductor material. There are identical barriers between the first (2) and second (3) layers and the second (3) and third (4) layers. The layers are doped and biased so that electrons are in all three layers. The width and doping of the second layer (3) are such that it provides a potential well with lower (E1) and higher (E2) quasistationary energy states. The bias voltages applied to the second (3) and third (4) layers cause the higher quasi-stationary energy state (E2) to be aligned with the Fermi level (Ef) in the first layer (2). The device provides switching speeds of the order of 10<-><1><2> seconds.

Inventors

  • 👤 Leo Esaki

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-28 13:11
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; H; H10; H10D; H10D48/00; H10D48/30; H10D48/32; H10D48/36; H10D48/362

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 133 words
A semiconductor circuit including a semiconductor triode comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor body having first (2) and third (4) layers on opposite sides of a second layer (3), each layer being of the same conductivity type, said first and third layers each forming a barrier with said second layer of quantum mechanical tunnelling type, said second layer having such a width and doping that a potential well with a higher and a lower quasistationary energy state is present in said second layer with a Fermi energy level above said lower energy state; and a bias voltage source arranged to apply such bias voltages to said second and third layers with respect to said first layer that said higher quasistationary energy state is aligned with the Fermi level (E f ) in said first layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 133 words
A semiconductor circuit including a semiconductor triode comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor body having first (2) and third (4) layers on opposite sides of a second layer (3), each layer being of the same conductivity type, said first and third layers each forming a barrier with said second layer of quantum mechanical tunnelling type, said second layer having such a width and doping that a potential well with a higher and a lower quasistationary energy state is present in said second layer with a Fermi energy level above said lower energy state; and a bias voltage source arranged to apply such bias voltages to said second and third layers with respect to said first layer that said higher quasistationary energy state is aligned with the Fermi level (E f ) in said first layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 40 words
A circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bias voltage source is arranged to apply a bias to said third layer equal to twice the potential from the lowest energy level in said second layer to said Fermi level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 53 words
A circuit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said second layer is 50A wide and consists of GaAs doped to 10 18 cm 3 , and said first 0 and third layers are 100A wide and consist of Ga .3 Al .7 As doped to 10 19 cm 3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 35 words
A circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said bias voltage source is arranged to apply 0.3V to said third layer and 0.13V to said second layer, said first layer being connected to reference voltage.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

DE2607940A1 Cited

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