US5047810A
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Optically controlled resonant tunneling electronic devices
Assignee: Nokia Bell Labs
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Filing: 1989-01-09
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Granted: 1991-09-10
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Expires: 2009-01-09
Abstract
Abstract Resonant tunneling devices having an improved device switching speed are realized by including an optical control element rather than an electrical control element for switching the device from one stable state to the other. The resulting optoelectronic device including at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure is controllably switched from an active state to an inactive state and vice versa by impinging optical signals from an optical control element having a mean photon energy less than the bandgap energy of the double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, wherein the active state of the device exhibits conduction of charge carriers by resonant tunneling. Improvement in the switching speed occurs because the optical processes initiated by the optical control element are condsiderably faster than the electronic processes induced by prior art electrical control elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel S. Chemla
- 👤 David A. B. Miller
- 👤 Stephan Schmitt-Rink
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 03:17
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; H; H10; H10F; H10F77/00; H10F77/10; H10F77/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
An optoelectronic device having active and inactive states of operation, said active state corresponding to conduction by resonant tunneling of carriers, said optoelectronic device including at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure wherein said resonant tunneling occurs through both barriers of each said double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure into and out of the lowest quasi-confined eigenstate of the quantum well, means for applying an electrical potential to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, means for applying a signal to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure to control the state of operation of said optoelectronic device, said signal applying means including a source of an optical signal having a mean photon energy less than a bandgap energy of said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure and sufficient to cause a desired shift δE o for a quasi-confined eigenstate in a quantum well of the at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, where the desired shift is, ##EQU3## where μ cv is an interband transition matrix element; ξ.sub.ν is an optical field at frequency ν; E 0 is an energy of said lowest quasi-confined eigenstate in the quantum well; hν is the mean photon energy of the optical signal; |φ(r=0)| 2 is the square of an envelope function of an exciton for r=0; and N s is the saturation density.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
An optoelectronic device having active and inactive states of operation, said active state corresponding to conduction by resonant tunneling of carriers, said optoelectronic device including at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure wherein said resonant tunneling occurs through both barriers of each said double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure into and out of the lowest quasi-confined eigenstate of the quantum well, means for applying an electrical potential to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, means for applying a signal to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure to control the state of operation of said optoelectronic device, said signal applying means including a source of an optical signal having a mean photon energy less than a bandgap energy of said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure and sufficient to cause a desired shift δE o for a quasi-confined eigenstate in a quantum well of the at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, where the desired shift is, ##EQU3## where μ cv is an interband transition matrix element; ξ.sub.ν is an optical field at frequency ν; E 0 is an energy of said lowest quasi-confined eigenstate in the quantum well; hν is the mean photon energy of the optical signal; |φ(r=0)| 2 is the square of an envelope function of an exciton for r=0; and N s is the saturation density.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure is substantially undoped.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group III-V.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group II-VI.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group II-IV.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
240 words
An optoelectronic device having active and inactive states of operation, said active state corresponding to conduction by resonant tunneling of carriers, said optoelectronic device including an electronic circuit element including at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure wherein said resonant tunneling occurs through both barriers of each said double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure into and out of the lowest quasi-confined eigenstate of the quantum well, and means for applying an electrical potential to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, means for applying a signal to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure to control the state of operation of said optoelectronic device, said signal applying means including a source of an optical signal having a mean photon energy less than a bandgap energy of said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure and sufficient to cause a desired shift δE o for a quasi-confined eigenstate in a quantum well of the at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, where the desired shift is, ##EQU4## where μ cv is an interband transition matrix element; ξ.sub.ν is an optical field at frequency ν; E 0 is an energy of said lowest quasi-confined eigenstate in the quantum well; hν is the mean photon energy of the optical signal; |φ(r=0)| 2 is the square of an envelope fuction of an exciton for r=0; and N s is the saturation density.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
240 words
An optoelectronic device having active and inactive states of operation, said active state corresponding to conduction by resonant tunneling of carriers, said optoelectronic device including an electronic circuit element including at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure wherein said resonant tunneling occurs through both barriers of each said double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure into and out of the lowest quasi-confined eigenstate of the quantum well, and means for applying an electrical potential to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, means for applying a signal to said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure to control the state of operation of said optoelectronic device, said signal applying means including a source of an optical signal having a mean photon energy less than a bandgap energy of said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure and sufficient to cause a desired shift δE o for a quasi-confined eigenstate in a quantum well of the at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure, where the desired shift is, ##EQU4## where μ cv is an interband transition matrix element; ξ.sub.ν is an optical field at frequency ν; E 0 is an energy of said lowest quasi-confined eigenstate in the quantum well; hν is the mean photon energy of the optical signal; |φ(r=0)| 2 is the square of an envelope fuction of an exciton for r=0; and N s is the saturation density.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 6 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure is substantially undoped.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 7 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group III-V.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 7 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group II-VI.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 9 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group II-IV.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 7 wherein said electronic circuit element includes a resonant tunneling diode.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 11 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group III-V.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 7 wherein said electronic circuit element includes a resonant tunneling bipolar transistor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 13 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group III-V.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 14 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure is included in a base region of said bipolar transistor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optoelectronic device as defined in claim 15 wherein said at least one double barrier quantum well semiconductor heterostructure comprises material compounds consisting from compositions selected from Group III-V.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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