Magnetically operated semiconductor device

Claim 2

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a wafer of semiconductive material including a first collector region of one type conductivity, a base region of another type conductivity disposed to form a collector junction with said collector region, and a first emitter region of said one type conductivity disposed to form an emitter junction with said base region, a pair of electrodes disposed in ohmic contact with said base region to interpose said emitter region therebetween, a first source of direct current connected across said pair of electrodes to produce a transverse electric field in that portion of said base region disposed between said electrodes, said emitter junction having a surface disposed in substantially parallel relationship with respect to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying a magnetic field across the device substantially perpendicularly to said surface of said emitter junction to generate an electromotive force in parallel to said surface of said emitter junction due to the Hall effect resulting from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 3

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base region is greater in area than said emitter junction.

Claim 4

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second source of direct current has first and second terminals connected respectively to said emitter region and a selected one of said electrodes on said base region to preliminarily bias said emitter junction to substantially zero voltage.

Claim 5

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second source of direct current has first and second terminals connected respectively to said emitter region and a selected one of said electrodes on said base region to preliminarily bias said emitter junction in the forward direction.

Claim 6

A magneticalLy operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wafer further includes a second collector region spaced from said first collector region and disposed to form a second collector junction with said base region to provide two transistor means responsive to a change in electromotive force due to a change in the applied magnetic field, wherein one of said transistor means including one of said collector regions increases in collector current while at the same time the other said transistor means including the other collector region decreases in collector current.

Claim 7

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter region is disposed on said base region in a position at which it intersects the direction of said transverse electric field.

Claim 8

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter region is disposed on said base region substantially orthogonally to the direction of said transverse electric field.

Claim 9

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wafer further includes a second collector region spaced from said first collector region and disposed to form a second collector junction with said base region to provide two transistor means responsive to a change in electromotive force due to a change in the applied magnetic field wherein one of said transistor means including one of said collector regions increases in collector current while at the same time the other said transistor means including the other collector region decreases in collector current, and further comprising first and second resistors, and a second source of direct current having first and second terminals connected respectively to said emitter region and to one side of both of said resistors, the other sides of said resistors being connected to said respective collector regions, wherein changes in collector currents are differentially detectable at said other sides of said resistors.

Claim 10

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8 wherein at least one of said resistors is a variable resistor.

Claim 11

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, in which said wafer further includes a second emitter region spaced from said first emitter region and disposed to form a second emitter junction with said base region, wherein said emitter regions are aligned with each other normal to the direction of said transverse electric field.

Claim 12

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wafer further includes a second emitter region spaced from said first emitter region and disposed to form a second emitter junction with said base region, and further comprising a second source of direct current having a pair of terminals connected respectively to both said two emitter regions and to said collector region, wherein a change in electromotive force due to the Hall effect causes changes in emitter current.

Claim 13

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a wafer of semiconductive material including a collector region of one type conductivity, a base region of another type conductivity disposed to form a collector junction with said collector region, and an emitter region of said one type conductivity disposed to form an emitter junction with said base region, a first electrode and a second electrode disposed in ohmic contact with said base region to interpose said emitter region therebetween, a source of direct current connected across said first and second electrodes to produce a transverse electric field in said base region between said first and second electrodes, a third electrode disposed in ohmic contact with said base region between said first and second electrodes and at a position in which said emitter region is aligned with said third electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of said transverse electric field, said emitter junctIon including a principal surface disposed substantially in parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying a magnetic field across the device substantially perpendicularly to said surface of said emitter region to generate an electromotive force parallel to said surface of said emitter region due to the Hall effect resulting from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 14

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a wafer of semiconductive material including a collector region of one type conductivity, a base region of another type conductivity disposed to form a collector junction with said collector region, and an emitter region of said one type conductivity disposed to form an emitter junction with said base region, a first electrode and a second electrode disposed in ohmic contact with said base region to interpose said emitter region therebetween, a source of direct current connected across said first and second electrodes to produce a transverse electric field in said base region between said first and second electrodes, a third electrode disposed in ohmic contact with said base region between said first and second electrodes and at a position in which said emitter region is aligned with said third electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of said transverse electric field, said emitter junctIon including a principal surface disposed substantially in parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying a magnetic field across the device substantially perpendicularly to said surface of said emitter region to generate an electromotive force parallel to said surface of said emitter region due to the Hall effect resulting from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 15

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said third electrode is electrically connected to said emitter region to apply across the emitter junction a change in potential on the base region caused from a variation in electromotive force due to the Hall effect.

Claim 16

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a four layer structure including successively an emitter region, a first base region, a second base region and a collector region of alternate conductivity semiconductor material, said emitter region transversing said first base region to form a PN emitter junction therebetween and said base region having an extending portion providing a surface disposed in a coplanar surface relationship with an outer principle surface of said emitter region, a pair of electrodes disposed in ohmic contact on said first base region surface, a source of direct current connected across said pair of electrodes to produce a transverse electric field across said second base region between said electrodes, said emitter junction including a surface disposed in substantially parallel relationship with respect to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying across said structure a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to said surface of said emitter junction to generate an electromotive force in parallel to said surface of said emitter junction due to the Hall effect caused from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 17

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a four layer structure including successively an emitter region, a first base region, a second base region and a collector region of alternate conductivity semiconductor material, said emitter region transversing said first base region to form a PN emitter junction therebetween and said base region having an extending portion providing a surface disposed in a coplanar surface relationship with an outer principle surface of said emitter region, a pair of electrodes disposed in ohmic contact on said first base region surface, a source of direct current connected across said pair of electrodes to produce a transverse electric field across said second base region between said electrodes, said emitter junction including a surface disposed in substantially parallel relationship with respect to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying across said structure a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to said surface of said emitter junction to generate an electromotive force in parallel to said surface of said emitter junction due to the Hall effect caused from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 18

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14 wherein said emitter region is interposed transversely between said electrodes, and wherein said collector region and said second base region are located in one of two sections into which said structure is divided in a directional parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field and perpendicular to said transverse direction of said emitter region.

Claim 19

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a biasing source of direct current connected between said emitter region and a selected one of said electrodes on said first base region to preliminarily bias said emitter junction to a predetermined magnitude.

Claim 20

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14, in which said emitter region is interposed transversely between said electrodes, and in which said four layer structure includes a pair of sections spaced in juxtaposed relationship and disposed parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field and perpendicular to said emitter region, each of said sections including a portion of said collector region and a portion of said second base region, wherein said emitter and first base regions and said pair of electrodes are common to both said sections.

Claim 21

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14 in which said emitter region extends transversely between said electrodes, and said emitter, collector and second base regions are divided into a pair of spaced sections disposed in a justaposed relationship parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field and perpendicular to said transverse emitter region sections, wherein each said section includes a separate collector, second base and emitter region, and wherein said first base region and said pair electrodes are common to both said sections.

Claim 22

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14, in which said emitter region extends Transversely between said electrodes, and in which said collector and second base regions are divided into a pair of spaced sections disposed in a justaposed relationship parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field and perpendicular to said emitter region, wherein each said section includes a separate collector and second base region, and wherein said emitter and first base regions and said pair of electordes are common to both said sections.

Claim 23

A magnetically operated semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14 wherein said four layer structure includes a pair of sections divided in juxtaposed relationship in a direction parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field and perpendicular to said emitter region, each of said sections including its own collector, second base, and emitter regions while said first base region and said pair electrodes are common to both said sections, and wherein a direction in which said emitter regions are aligned with each other is substantially perpendicular to the direction of said transverse electric field.

Claim 24

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a four layer structure including an emitter region, a first base region, a second base region and a collector region of alternate conductivity, said emitter region being juxtaposed with said first base region to form a PN emitter junction between the same and one portion of said first base region, a pair of spaced parallel electrodes disposed in ohmic contact with said first base region, a source of direct current connected across said pair of electrodes to produce a transverse electric field in said first base region between said electrodes, said emitter region including a surface disposed substantially in parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying a magnetic field across the device substantially in parallel to said surface of said emitter junction to generate an electromotive force parpendicularly to said surface of said emitter junction due to the Hall effect resulting from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.

Claim 25

A magnetically operated semiconductor device comprising, in combination, a four layer structure including an emitter region, a first base region, a second base region and a collector region of alternate conductivity, said emitter region being juxtaposed with said first base region to form a PN emitter junction between the same and one portion of said first base region, a pair of spaced parallel electrodes disposed in ohmic contact with said first base region, a source of direct current connected across said pair of electrodes to produce a transverse electric field in said first base region between said electrodes, said emitter region including a surface disposed substantially in parallel to the direction of said transverse electric field, and means for applying a magnetic field across the device substantially in parallel to said surface of said emitter junction to generate an electromotive force parpendicularly to said surface of said emitter junction due to the Hall effect resulting from the interaction of said magnetic field and said transverse electric field.