Thin film negative resistance semiconductor device

Claim 1

A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY PURE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER HAVING A WIDE ENERGY BAND GAP CAPABLE OF CURRENT CONTROLLED TYPE NEGATIVE RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTICS DISPOSED DIRECTLY BETWEEN OPPOSED CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODES, SAID ELECTRODES CONSISTING OF A FIRST CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODE CONSISTING OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TE, PT, MO, TI AND W AND A SECOND ELECTRODE CONSISTING OF A METAL HAVING A THERMAL EXPANSION COEFFICIENT SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL WITH THAT OF SAID SEMICONDUCTOR, THE SUSTAINING VOLTAGE OF SAID NEGATIVE RESISTANCE BEING SMALLER THAN THE TURNOVER VOLTAGE AND NOT MORE THAN 3/2 OF THE BAND GAP ENERGY OF SAID SEMICONDUCTOR, SAID SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER HAVING A THICKNESS OF BETWEEN LESS THAN 5 MICRONS AND MORE THAN 100 ANGSTROMS AND HAVING A SPECIFIC RESISTANCE OF MORE THAN 103$ CM. BUT LESS THAN 1010$ CM., SAID SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER BEING CRYSTALLINE AND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF OXIDES AND HALIDES, WHEREBY SAID NEGATIVE RESISTANCE APPEARS IN BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE DIRECTIONS OF CURRENT.