Electronic bistable semiconductor switching element and method of making same

Abstract

Abstract IT IS FOUND THAT AS THE SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOSITION OF AN ELECTRONIC BISTABLE SEMICONDUCTOR SWITHCHING ELEMENT THERE MAY BE EMPLOYED SULFUR OR ANY OTHER SOLID GROUP VI ELEMENT, PREFERABLY SELENIUM, IN ADMIXTURE WITH ANTIMONY WITH LESS RIGID CONTROL WITH RESPECT TO PROPORTIONS THAN IS CONVENTIONAL FOR STIBNITE SWITCHES PROVIDED THAT THE COMPOSITION IS USED IN THE FORM OF A LAYER OF A THICKNESS NO GREATER THAN 1 MM. IT IS FOUND ADVANTAGEOUS TO PROVIDE THE LAYER ON AN ELECTRODE WHICH IS OF A HIGHLY THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND HAS A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECT<IONAL AREA OF THE LAYER IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A HEAT SINK TO AID THE DISSIPATION OF HEAT FROM THE LAYER. A PARTICULAR APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION IS A THIN-FILM STORE. A METHOD IS PROVIDED FOR MAKING SUCH A STORE BY PROVIDING A FILM OR LAYERR OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOSITIN ON A UNITARY ELECTRODE AND HEATING THE LAYER TO CRYSTALLIZE IT UNIFORMLY BY THE APPLICATION OF EXTERNALLY DERIVED HEAT OR BY PASSING A CURRENT PULSE THROUGH IT, OR BY PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL ELECTRODES ON THE EXPOSED FACE OF THE LAYER AND PASSING A CURRENT PULSE THROUGH THE LAYER BETWEEN THE UNITARY ELECTRODE AND THE INDIVIDUAL ELECTRODES TO FORM CRYSTALLINE CHANNELS IN THE COMPOSITION ALONG THE PATHS OF SAID PULSES.

Inventors

• 👤 Knud Kristensen

Bibliographic Details