Semiconductor diode exhibiting differential negative resistance

Claim 1

A SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE COMPRISING: A UNITARY STRUCTURE OF THREE SUCCESSIVE SEMICONDUCTIVE ZONES BEING CONGRUENT IN SIZE AND SHAPE WHICH FORM AN EMITTER JUNCTION BETWEEN THE FIRST OUTER ZONE AND ONE SIDE OF THE CENTRAL ZONE AND A COLLECTOR JUNCTION BETWEEN THE SECOND OUTER ZONE AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CENTRAL ZONE, THE WIDTH OF SAID SECOND OUTER ZONE BEING AT MOST EQUAL TO THE DIFFUSION LENGTH THEREIN OF MINORITY CARRIERS FROM SAID CENTRAL ZONE; AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID STRUCTURE WHICH FORWARD-BIASES SAID EMITTER JUNCTION AND REVERSE-BIASES SAID COLLECTOR JUNCTION SO AS TO ESTABLISH THEREAT A POTENTIAL BARRIER REGION WHICH EXTENDS COMPLETELY ACROSS SAID SECOND OUTER ZONE WHEN SAID VOLTAGE REACHES A PREDETERMINED SWITCHING LEVEL, THE POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID BARRIER REGION THEN REGENERATIVELY COLLAPSING DUE TO A REGENERATIVE INCREASE IN THE CONCENTRATION OF MINORITY CARRIERS INJECTED INTO SAID CENTRAL ZONE BY SAID EMITTER JUNCTION.