USRE29578E
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Electron tunneling device
Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Filing: 1977-05-09
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Granted: 1978-03-14
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Expires: 1997-05-09
Abstract
Abstract Tunneling electronic devices responsive to infrared and far infrared radiation are formed by overlapping deposits which define ultra-thin dielectric layers (less than aout 10 Angstrom thickness) between metal layers, and contact areas of the order of 1 micron 2 or less. Preferred embodiments feature operation in the negative impedance region, particularly using multibarrier structures or operating at low temperature with both metals superconductors, and incorporation of the same in oscillators and multivibrators. Other embodiments feature two or more such devices in the form of triodes having positive feedback achieved by radiative or inductive coupling using integrally deposited line structures as the respective antennas or inductors. Similar deposited antennas, e.g. dipole antennas, are employed to produce radiative outputs from the devices achieving, e.g. tunable sources of radiation in the far infrared or infrared. The junctions are integrated with thin film structures designed to introduce capacitance as well as inductance components for appropriate impedance as parts of lumped circuit elements at far IR and IR frequencies. These enable tank circuits to be formed resonating in these regions. Loop constructions are also shown in which selected overlapped regions are sized to form tunneling junctions and other overlapped regions are sized or otherwise constructed to avoid non-linear effects. A frequency dividing network is shown enabling infrared or far infrared frequencies to be subdivided by a series of coupled oscillators constructed as above. Nonlinearities of the junction and production of reactive components in the junction, i.e. for impedance matching purposes, as with the antennas, are achieved by appropriate selection of the input frequencies relative to quantized modes of the dielectric layer. By appropriate selection, the variety of equivalent circuits can be achieved appropriate to such matching. Addition of selected impurities to the dielectric layer can serve to introduce the quantized modes in the far IR and IR and to enhance the scattering effects upon the AC signal in these regions.
Inventors
- 👤 Ali Javan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 19:01
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10N; H10N99/00; H01; H01J; H01J29/00; H01J29/02; H01J29/10; H01J29/36; H01J29/39; H01J29/45; H01J29/458; H10F; H10F99/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
An electronic device comprising a substrate and thereon first and second metallic overlapping deposits with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having a contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness being less than about 10 Angstrom, said junction being conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic.[...]..Iadd., said first and second deposits having integral non-overlapping portions extending away from a region of overlapping to provide means for direct connection of other circuit elements to said junction and enabling effective coupling to other circuit elements at impedance levels not more than a few hundred ohms and at operating frequencies of 10 12 Hz and higher. .Iaddend.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
An electronic device comprising a substrate and thereon first and second metallic overlapping deposits with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having a contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness being less than about 10 Angstrom, said junction being conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic.[...]..Iadd., said first and second deposits having integral non-overlapping portions extending away from a region of overlapping to provide means for direct connection of other circuit elements to said junction and enabling effective coupling to other circuit elements at impedance levels not more than a few hundred ohms and at operating frequencies of 10 12 Hz and higher. .Iaddend.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The device of claim 1, the current-voltage response curve of said device having a negative impedance region, and including connections integrally formed with said first and second layers for biasing said device into said negative impedance region.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as claimed in claim 1 including an intermediate metallic layer between said first and second metallic layers and separated therefrom by dielectric layers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A device as claimed in claim 1 including on said substrate a linear inductor structure connected to and deposited integrally with at least one of said metallic layers forming said junction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A device as claimed in claim 4 said inductor element and said junction connected to form an oscillator.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The oscillator of claim 5 including on said substrate a metal deposit connected to and deposited integrally with at least one of said junction forming layers providing a radiating antenna, an antenna responsive to oscillations in said oscillator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The oscillator of claim 5 wherein said inductor is defined by parallel metal line structures deposited upon said substrate, different line structures connected to different sides of said contact.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The oscillator of claim 6 wherein each side of said contact is connected to a portion of an antenna structure.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The structure of claim 7 including a deposited dipole antenna structure, the branches thereof extending at right angles to said parallel metal line structures.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The oscillator of claim 9 wherein one end of each of said parallel line structures is connected to a respective side of said junction and the other end is connected to the inner end of a branch of said dipole antenna.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
The oscillator of claim 7 wherein the connection between each of said line structures to the respective side of said contact is made at a mid-portion of said line structure and the inner end of a branch of a dipole antenna is connected to and extends outwardly from the mid-portion of each of said line structures.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
86 words
The oscillator of claim 5 including a first linear structure integrally deposited with said first metallic layer of said junction, and junction being at an end thereof, and a second linear structure deposited integrally with said second metallic layer of said junction, said junction being at an end thereof, the ends of said first and second structures remote from said junction overlapping and effectively shorted at the operating frequencies of the oscillator, the said first and second structures forming a loop providing inductance for said oscillator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The oscillator of claim 12 wherein said remote ends of said line structures which overlap form an ohmic contact.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
The oscillator of claim 12 wherein said other ends of said line structure which overlap are separated by a dielectric layer, the area of said overlap being substantially greater than 1 micron 2 .
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
The oscillator of claim 10 wherein opposite sides of said loop are connected to the inner ends of respective branches of a dipole antenna formed by metal line structures deposited on said substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The oscillator of claim 5 wherein said device comprises at least two layers of dielectric separated by a metal layer, said negative impedance region established by a multi-barrier response characteristic.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The device of claim 1 including a linear antenna structure connected to and integrally deposited with at least one of said metallic junction layers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
Two devices as claimed in claim 17, the antenna structures of the respective devices positioned to provide feedback between said devices.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
101 words
The apparatus of claim 18 wherein each of said devices includes a pair of dielectric layers separated by a metal layer which serves as a control of the conductance of said device, the control of said first device connected to a metal deposit forming a receiving antenna, the collector of said first device connected to the control of the second said device, and the collector of the second device connected to a metal deposit forming a transmitting antenna, said receiving and transmitting antenna arranged in coupling relation to provide positive feedback from the second to the first device to maintain oscillation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
12 words
A multi-vibrator incorporating the device of claim 1 as the active element.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
79 words
An electronic device incorporating a plurality of active devices as claimed in claim 1 with a feedback arrangement wherein said active devices comprise a series of deposits on a substrate having nonlinear current voltage characteristics in the far infrared region, each of said deposits being integrated with an antenna structure printed upon said substrate, said antenna structures disposed in coupling relation to each other, and related to their respective active devices to transmit a feedback signal between said devices.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 21 wherein said antennas are constructed and arranged for positive feedback.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
An oscillator for producing radiation of wavelength λ incorporationg the device of claim 22 wherein said antennas are of a length λ/2 or 3λ/2.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The oscillator of claim 23 wherein three or more of said devices are arranged in a phased array for coupled operation.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
111 words
An electronic device comprising a substrate and thereon first and second metallic overlapping deposits with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having a contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness being less than about 10 Angstrom, said junction being conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic, said dielectric layer having local quantized modes and means applying to such junction an alternating field of frequency in the region of the energy band between local quantized modes thereby to produce a response dependent upon the interaction of said applied field and said local quantized modes.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
111 words
An electronic device comprising a substrate and thereon first and second metallic overlapping deposits with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having a contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness being less than about 10 Angstrom, said junction being conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic, said dielectric layer having local quantized modes and means applying to such junction an alternating field of frequency in the region of the energy band between local quantized modes thereby to produce a response dependent upon the interaction of said applied field and said local quantized modes.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
25 words
The electronic device of claim 25 having a response to infrared radiation and said means applying a field of infrared frequency to said dielectric layer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electronic device of claim 25 having a response to far infrared radiation and said means applying a field of far infrared frequency to said dielectric layer.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electronic device of claim 25 said alternating field and said quantized modes cooperatively selected to produce enhanced nonlinear response of said junction to applied AC fields.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
36 words
The electronic device of claim 25 in combination with an antenna, said alternating field and said quantized modes cooperatively selected to produce a reactive component tending to match the impedance of the junction to said antenna.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
146 words
An electronic frequency conversion device comprising a series of junctions each comprising first and second metallic overlapping deposits on a substrate with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness less than about 10 Angstrom, each said junction conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic, each of said junctions associated with other components forming an oscillator, the resonant frequencies of the resultant series of oscillators progressively varying through the series in accordance with multiples of a given wave length, means for coupling said oscillators together and means for coupling into a first said oscillator an applied radiation field input of wave length related to said given wave length such that frequency is converted by the progressive interaction of said series of oscillations.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
146 words
An electronic frequency conversion device comprising a series of junctions each comprising first and second metallic overlapping deposits on a substrate with a dielectric layer therebetween forming a metal-dielectric-metal type junction having contact area of the order of 1 micron 2 or less and the dielectric layer thickness less than about 10 Angstrom, each said junction conductive through quantum mechanical tunneling effects and having a non-linear current-voltage response characteristic, each of said junctions associated with other components forming an oscillator, the resonant frequencies of the resultant series of oscillators progressively varying through the series in accordance with multiples of a given wave length, means for coupling said oscillators together and means for coupling into a first said oscillator an applied radiation field input of wave length related to said given wave length such that frequency is converted by the progressive interaction of said series of oscillations.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 30 wherein said applied field is of infrared or far infrared frequency.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
72 words
The device of claim 30 wherein junctions in said series have input and output structures mutually related throughout said series, the input structure of a given oscillator being resonant at the resonant frequency of the output structure of the immediately adjacent oscillator, and the output structure of the given oscillator having a resonant frequency different by a factor of two from the resonant frequency of the input structure of the same oscillator.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
78 words
The device of claim 32 wherein each oscillator comprises a dipole input antenna and a dipole output antenna, the respective junction connected between the branches thereof. .Iadd. 34. A plurality of devices as claimed in claim 1 deposited on a single substrate, there being predetermined direct interconnections between said devices formed by metallic deposits to provide electronic circuitry operable at impedance levels not more than a few hundred ohms and at frequencies of 10 12 Hz and higher..Iaddend.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-03-13 | 1981-09-12 | 1982-03-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-03-13 | 1985-09-12 | 1986-03-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-03-13 | 1989-09-12 | 1990-03-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |