Semiconductor embedded layer technology including permeable base transistor
First Claim
1. An active semiconductor device comprising:
- a thin metal base layer embedded in a semiconductor single crystal and providing a metal-semiconductor potential barrier between emitter and collector regions,the metal base layer having at least one opening therein through which semiconductor single crystal extends, substantially all of the openings being dimensioned such that the ratio of metal layer thickness to opening width is less than one-half to permit barrier limited current flow therethrough within an operating range of base biasing, the barrier being sufficient at some base biasing level to virtually eliminate current flow through the openings, the normalized transconductance gm /Ic of the device being greater than 2 volt-1 over a range of collector current.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A permeable base transistor (30) including a metal base layer (34) embedded in a semiconductor crystal (32) to separate collector (38) and emitter (40) regions and form a Schottky barrier with each is diclosed. The metal base layer has at least one opening (37) through which the crystal semiconductor (32) joins the collector (38) and emitter (40) regions. Ohmic contacts (42,44) are made to the emitter (38) and collector (40) regions. The width of all openings (37) in the base layer (34) is of the order of the zero bias depletion width corresponding to the carrier concentration in the opening. The thickness of the metal layer (34) is in the order of 10% of this zero bias depletion width. As a result, a potential barrier in each opening limits current flow over the lower portion of the bias range. With increasing forward base bias the potential in the openings, which is lower than along the metal of the base layer (34), is lowered sufficiently to permit substantial increase in the barrier limited current flow from the collector (38) to emitter (40).
84 Citations
45 Claims
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1. An active semiconductor device comprising:
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a thin metal base layer embedded in a semiconductor single crystal and providing a metal-semiconductor potential barrier between emitter and collector regions, the metal base layer having at least one opening therein through which semiconductor single crystal extends, substantially all of the openings being dimensioned such that the ratio of metal layer thickness to opening width is less than one-half to permit barrier limited current flow therethrough within an operating range of base biasing, the barrier being sufficient at some base biasing level to virtually eliminate current flow through the openings, the normalized transconductance gm /Ic of the device being greater than 2 volt-1 over a range of collector current.
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2. An active semiconductor device comprising:
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a thin metal layer embedded in semiconductor single crystal material to separate single crystal regions and form a potential barrier; the metal layer having at least one opening therein through which semiconductor single crystal material joins the crystal regions, substantially all openings in the metal layer having the same controlled width in the order of the zero bias depletion width of the barrier; and the thickness of the metal layer being in the order of 10% of the zero bias depletion width. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22)
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21. A transistor device comprising:
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single crystal semiconductor material having emitter and collector regions; and a metal base layer embedded in the single crystal semiconductor material, the metal base layer having at least one slit opening therein through which single crystal semiconductor material joins the emitter and collector regions, the width of substantially all slits in the active portion of the base layer being in the order of the zero bias depletion width of a potential barrier between the metal and semiconductor.
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23. A transistor device comprising:
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a thin metal base layer embedded in a semiconductor crystal between emitter and collector contacts and providing a metal - semiconductor potential barrier; the metal base layer having a plurality of slit openings therein through which single crystal semiconductor material joins the emitter and collector regions, the width of substantially all slits in the active portion of the base layer being uniform and equal and in the order of the zero bias depletion width of the barrier; the thickness of the metal base layer being in the order of 10% of the zero bias depletion width; and substantially all emitter-collector current flow through the device being barrier limited current flow through the slits within an operating range of base biasing. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. An active semiconductor device comprising:
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an emitter semiconductor region; a collector semiconductor region; a base region including at least two sets of coplanar interleaved control fingers extending across the device between the emitter and collector regions, each set being connected to a separate input to control current flow between the emitter and base regions. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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- 30. A single semiconductor chip integrated circuit comprising a plurality of devices in a stacked configuration, at least some of the interconnections between devices being totally embedded within the semiconductor chip, the plurality of devices including devices having metal base layers embedded in the semiconductor, at least some of the embedded interconnections being extensions of said metal base layers.
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42. A single semiconductor chip integrated circuit comprising a plurality of devices, including devices having metal base layers embedded in the semiconductor, at least some of the interconnections between said devices being extensions of the metal base layers totally embedded within the semiconductor chip.
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43. A single semiconductor chip integrated circuit comprising a plurality of devices, at least some of the interconnections between said plurality of devices being totally embedded within the semiconductor chip, the integrated circuit further comprising an embedded metal layer which forms a Schottky barrier with the semiconductor and serves as isolation for at least one of said plurality of devices.
- 44. A single semiconductor chip integrated circuit comprising an embedded non-semiconducting layer embedded within the semiconductor chip below a semiconductor device as isolation for the device wherein the non-semiconducting layer is metal and forms a Schottky barrier with the semiconductor.
Specification