Differentially magnetically sensitive diode structure

Claim 1

A diode structure characterized in that it comprises an emitter and a base, an emitter contact and at least two base contacts; said base forming a PN junction at its interfaces with said emitter and having said base contacts and said emitter contacts supplied with electrical potential of proper polarity and magnitude to forward bias said PN junction to inject minority carriers from said emitter into said base and to withdraw such carriers at said base contacts; said PN junction having an injection area developing, in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field, a Lorentz potential having a maximum contour of positive, negative and null values distributed across the surface of said area which is created by the interaction of said injected minority carriers and said externally applied magnetic field; said Lorentz potential modulating the injection of minority carriers from said injection areas; and said base contacts being positioned relative to said emitter to lie on opposite sides of an imaginary plane constructed perpendicular to said surface of said area on which said Lorentz potential is developed and passing through the null point of said Lorentz potential.