Semiconductive magnetic transducer

Claim 2

The transducer of claim 1 including at least one other region for collection of minority carriers, said other collector region also being contiguous with a side of said channel and spaced from said one collector region.

Claim 3

The transducer-amplifier of claim 3 wherein said collector regions extend around said channel and are spaced apart a short distance at their ends, and said collector regions are biased electrically against said channel to an extent that the space charge layers between said collectors and channel extend across the spacing between said collectors so that the channel is fully surrounded by said collectors and their space charge regions.

Claim 4

A semiconductive magnetic transducer-amplifier comprising in combination a body of semiconductive material; a semiconductive channel disposed within said body; at least one collector region of said body adjoining said channel and of opposite conductivity type from said channel; means to inject minority carriers into said channel from an emitter located at said surface at one end of said channel in order that minority carriers moving along said channel can be deflected to said collector by a magnetic field applied to said channel; and an enhancement MOS transistor disposed adjacent said channel with its inversion layer in series connection therewith, and said collector region being coupled to the gate of said transistor and biased in accordance with the flow of minority carriers into said collector such that said MOS transistor operates as a source of majority carriers to said channel.

Claim 5

The transducer of claim 5 wherein said MOS transistor includes a first region of the same conductivity type as said collector region, said first region spaced apart from said collector and disposed in said channel at the opposite end from said injection region, said first region having a majority source region disposed therein, said majority source region being spaced away from said collector region, said transistor having a gate electrode overlying and insulatively spaced from said first region, said gate overlying a portion of said first region which is disposed between its source region and said collector region, said collector region coupled to said gate electrode, and said minority flow into said collector providing a bias of said gate electrode which inverts the underlying region such that said source region injects majority carriers through said inverted region into said channel.

Claim 6

The transducer-amplifier of claim 7 wherein said channel includes a source and a drain of majority carriers disposed at opposing ends of said channel, said majority carrier drain being located at the injection end of said channel, said injection means being disposed between said drain and said collector, and said injection means being conductively connected to said drain so as to control minority carrier injection in accordance with majority carrier flow.

Claim 7

A semiconductive magnetic transducer-amplifier comprising in combination A body of semiconductive material; a semiconductive channel of opposite conductivity type from said body and disposed within said body so as to be contiguous with said body along a substantially planar surface; a collector region of opposite conductivity type from said channel and contiguous with the outside planar surface of said channel, means to inject minority carriers into said channel from an emitter located at the surface at one end of said channel; a source of majority carriers located at the surface at the other end of said channel; circuit means to provide a flow of majority carriers along said channel from said source of majority carriers toward said emitter of minority carriers, thereby generating a drift field along said channel so that minority carriers drifting along said channel are deflected to said collector by a magnetic field applied to said channel; and an emitter region within said collector and of opposite conductivity type from said collector, which together with said collector and said channel forms a bipolar transistor such that the output of said transistor amplifier operates as a source of majority carriers for said channel and is proportional to minority carrier flow deflected to said channel.

Claim 8

The transducer-amplifier of claim 8 including means for controlling the injection of minority carriers into said channel in accordance with said majority carrier flow thereby providing a bistable device having one state characterized by a comparatively large minority carrier flow and another state of little minority carrier flow in said channel.

Claim 9

The transducer of claim 9 including a magnetic field in said channel, said magnetic field directed across said channel so as to control minority flow into said collector, and means for varying said magnetic field to control said minority flow into said collector and thereby switch said bistable device from one state to the other.

Claim 10

The transducer-amplifier of claim 9 wherein said channel includes a source and a drain of majority carriers, said majority carrier drain being located at the injection end of said channel, said injection means being disposed between said drain and said collector, and said injection means being conductively connected to said drain so as to control minority carrier injection in accordance with majority carrier flow.