Silicon resonant tunneling

• US 5,796,119 A
• Filed: 10/29/1993
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Seabaugh, Alan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON JR, JEROME
• Application Number:
  US08/145,267
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 257/17, 257/22, 257/25, 257/28, 257/30
• US Class Current: 257/25
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66151 Tunnel diodes group 13/15 resonant tunneling diodes H01L29/66219
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/882 Resonant tunneling diodes, i.e. RTD, RTBD

Abstract

A resonant tunneling diode (400) made of a silicon quantum well (406) with silicon oxide tunneling barriers (404, 408). The tunneling barriers have openings (430) of size smaller than the electron wave packet spread to insure crystal alignment through the diode without affecting the tunneling barrier height.

Claims

1. A resonant tunneling diode, comprising:

(a) a first terminal, a second terminal, and a quantum well; and

(b) first and second tunneling barriers, said first tunneling barrier separating said quantum well from said first terminal and said second tunneling barrier separating said quantum well from said second terminal, said first tunneling barrier including a region of material having the same bandgap as at least one of said first terminal and said quantum well and which abuts both said quantum well and said first terminal and also including a second region of material having a bandgap larger than at least one of said first terminal and said quantum well.

2. The diode of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said first terminal, said second terminal, and said quantum well are made of silicon; and

(b) said first tunneling barrier and said second tunneling barrier include a compound of silicon and oxygen.

3. The diode of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said region has a grid pattern.

4. The diode of claim 2, wherein:

(a) said compound is silicon dioxide.

5. An integrated circuit, comprising:

(a) a silicon-based transistor; and

(b) a silicon resonant tunneling diode with tunneling barriers including an amorphous silicon-oxygen compound, said diode coupled to said transistor.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein:

(a) said tunneling barriers each includes a region of silicon which abuts silicon regions on both sides of one of said tunneling barriers.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein:

(a) said region of silicon has a grid pattern.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein:

(a) said silicon-oxygen compound is silicon dioxide.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein:

(a) said transistor is an insulated gate field effect transistor.