Network device having transistors employing charge-carrier mobility modulation to drive operation beyond transition frequency

A method, comprising:

• in a circuit component in a network device, the circuit component disposed in one or more sub-circuits of the network device, the one or more sub-circuits comprising one or more of (i) an oscillator, (ii) an amplifier, (iii) a mixer, and (iv) a multiplier, the circuit component including (i) a first device terminal and a second device terminal, both device terminals coupled to a semiconductor substrate, the second device terminal being spatially separated from the first device terminal, (ii) a drift region disposed on the semiconductor substrate between the first device terminal and the second device terminal, and (iii) a mobility modulator coupled to the drift region, allowing a flow of charge-carriers along the drift region between the first device terminal and the second device terminal;
• and
• modulating a mobility of the charge-carriers as a function of longitudinal position along the drift region, by selectively applying a field across the drift region using the mobility modulator responsive to one or more modulation signals.

A method, comprising:

• in a circuit component in a network device, the circuit component including (i) a first device terminal and a second device terminal, both device terminals coupled to a semiconductor substrate, the second device terminal being spatially separated from the first device terminal, (ii) a drift region disposed on the semiconductor substrate between the first device terminal and the second device terminal, and (iii) a mobility modulator coupled to the drift region, allowing a flow of charge-carriers along the drift region between the first device terminal and the second device terminal;
• and
• using the mobility modulator, selectively applying a field across the drift region responsive to a periodic modulation signal, so as to modulate a mobility of the charge-carriers in accordance with multiple cycles of the periodic modulation signal along the drift region.