Semi-conductor barrier switching devices

Claim 2

A switching device comprising: a body of semi-conductor material, means for injecting carriers of one type into the body, a first terminal coupled to the said means, a barrier region of the body formed by semi-conductor material having the said one type of carriers as majority carriers, and barrier region separating adjacent first and second further regions of the body, with the first region between the said means and the barrier region, and a second terminal coupled to the body on that side of the second region which is remote from the barrier region, the dimensions of the barrier region and its composition in relation to the first and second further regions being such that when the device is unbiassed the barrier region is substantially depleted of the said majority carriers, and the concentration of any majority carriers of opposite type to the said one type in the first further region being not substantially more than twice as great, when the device is unbiassed, than in the second further region.

Claim 3

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second regions include intrinsic material adjacent to the barrier region, and the device is constructed to ensure that for a practical switching voltage applied between the first and second terminals, G=1, where ##EQU6## d 1 is the dimension of the intrinsic material of the first region between the barrier region and the means for injecting carriers, d 2 is the dimension of the intrinsic material of the second region between the barrier region and second terminal, δ is the average width of the free majority carrier density in the barrier region, ε s is the permittivity of the intrinsic material, L p is diffusion length of the said majority carriers, k is Boltzmann's constant, A* is the effective Richardson constant for electrons, T is absolute temperature, q is electric charge, D p is the diffusion coefficient of the said majority carriers, C j is ##EQU7## L is the length of the region between the barrier and the junction, N D is the density of impurity atoms in the region of the junction, σ is the capture cross section for traps in the junction space charge region, V th is the terminal velocity for traps in the junction space charge region, N tj is the trap density for traps in the junction space charge region, W is the width of the junction space charge region, φ is the energy band barrier height due to the layer of semi-conductor material when the said switching voltage is applied, and φ o is the energy band barrier height due to the said layer when no bias voltage is applied between the first and second terminals.

Claim 4

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the means for injecting carriers is a semi-conductor junction.

Claim 5

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second regions are of n-type material, the means for injecting carriers, in operation, injects holes, and the barrier region is formed of p-type material.

Claim 6

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second regions are of p-type material, the means for injecting carriers, in operation, injects electrons, and the barrier region is formed of n-type material.

Claim 7

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second regions are of intrinsic material, the means for injecting carriers, in operation, injects holes, the barrier region is formed of p-type material, and the distance between the barrier region and the means for injecting carriers being at least twice as long as the distance between the barrier region and that part of the body to which the second terminal is coupled.

Claim 8

A switching device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second regions are of intrinsic material, the means for injecting carriers, in operation, injects electrons, and the barrier is formed of n-type material.

Claim 9

A switching device according to claim 1 including a substrate for the said body, the first terminal being connected by way of the substrate to the said body, and the said body being in the form of a layer on at least part of the substrate, and a layer of insulating material covering the said body except where the second terminal makes contact therewith.

Claim 10

A switching device according to claim 1 including a third terminal coupled to further means for injecting carriers of the said one type into the body at a position near to the barrier region.

Claim 11

A switching device according to claim 9 wherein the said further means comprises a third further region in which the said one type of carriers are majority carriers, the third further region being located in said second further region.

Claim 12

A switching device according to claim 9 including a substrate for the said body, the first terminal being connected by way of the substrate to the said body, and the said body being in the form of a layer on at least part of the substrate, and a layer of insulating material covering the said body except where the second terminal makes contact therewith and where the third terminal is positioned, the further means for injecting carriers including an electrode connected to the third terminal, the electrode projecting from the layer of insulating material into the said body through the barrier region at least as far as the vicinity of the first mentioned means for injecting carriers of the said one type, and a layer of insulating material, separating the said electrode from the body, and of such dimensions and composition that the third terminal can be so biassed in relation to the other terminals that an induced channel for carriers of the said one type from the said other means to the said barrier is set up in the body.

Claim 13

A method of operating a switching device according to claim 1, comprising applying, when the device is to be substantially non-conducting, a first voltage between the first and second terminals, the voltage being of a polarity which causes the means for injecting carriers of the first type to tend to inject such carriers into the said body, and applying a second voltage of the said polarity between the first and second terminals when the device is to conduct, the second voltage being large in relation to the first voltage.

Claim 14

A method of operating a switching device according to claim 9, comprising applying a first voltage between the first and second terminals which is of a polarity which causes the means for injecting carriers, connected to the first terminal to tend to inject such carriers into the said body, applying, when the device is to be substantially non-conducting, a second voltage between the first and third terminals which is of a polarity which prevents the further means from injecting carriers of the first type, and applying, when the device is to conduct, a third voltage between the first and second terminals which is of the same polarity as the first voltage but is large relative thereto and a fourth voltage between the first and third terminals which causes the said further means to inject carriers of the first type into the said body.