Tunnel diode

• US 4,198,644 A
• Filed: 06/09/1978
• Issued: 04/15/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Esaki, Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Edlow, Martin H.
• Application Number:
  US05/914,103
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 357/12, 357/16, 357/3, 357/61
• US Class Current: 257/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02395 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02398 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02463 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02466 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02546 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02549 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/885 Esaki diodes

Abstract

A tunnel diode is disclosed wich includes a heterostructure consisting of airst layer of GaSb_1-y As_y and a second layer of In_1-x Ga_x As. It is also disclosed that other alloys of Group III and Group V materials can be employed in a tunnel diode of the instant invention.

Claims

1. A tunnel diode comprising:

first and second layers of different semiconductor materials;

the top of the valance band for the material of said first layer being at an energy between the energy of the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valance band for the material of said second layer;

the bottom of the conduction band for the material of said first layer being at an energy greater than the energy of the bottom of the conduction band for the material of said second layer;

said first layer being degenerately doped with an excess of acceptors to the extent that the Fermi level lies in the valance band;

said second layer being degenerately doped with an excess of donors to the extent that the Fermi level lies in the conduction band; and

said first and second layers being interfaced to form a semiconductor heterojunction.

2. A tunnel diode according to claim 1, wherein the top of the valance band of said first layer is closer to the bottom of the conduction band of said second layer than it is to the top of the valance band of said second layer.

3. A tunnel diode as defined in claim 1, in which said layers are formed from different Group III-V alloys.

4. A tunnel diode as defined in claim 2, in which the first layer is an alloy of In_1-x Ga_x As and the second layer is an alloy of GaSb_1-y As_y,

5. A tunnel diode as defined in claim 4, in which y=0.918x+0.082.