# US 5,349,202 A · Tunneling transistor

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 5,349,202 A
- Document ID: US5349202A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/981,248
- Filed: 1992-11-25
- Granted: 1994-09-20
- Earliest claimed: 1991-12-02
- Assignees: NEC Corporation
- Inventors: Tetsuya Uemura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5349202A

## CPC

- H10D 12/211: {Gated diodes}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- H10D 10/881: {Resonant tunnelling transistors}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

A tunneling transistor comprising an emitter layer, a barrier layer having a conduction band higher in energy than a conduction band of said emitter layer and a valence band lower in energy than a valence band of said emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which electrons can substantially tunnel the barrier layer, a collector layer having a conduction band lower in energy than the valence band of said emitter layer and a conductivity type opposite to said emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which quantum levels are substantially formed, a gate layer having a conduction band higher in energy than the conduction band of said layer and a valence band of said emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which the probability of electron tunneling is substantially greatly reduced, said layers been laminated in this order, and electrodes which form ohmic junctions on said emitter layer and said collector layer and an electrode which forms a Schottky junction on said gate layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tunneling transistor comprising:
an emitter layer forming a first semiconductor:
a barrier layer forming a second semiconductor, and having a conduction band higher in energy than a conduction band of said emitter layer and a valence band lower in energy than a valence band of said emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which electrons can tunnel the barrier layer;
a collector layer forming of a third semiconductor, and having a conduction band lower in energy than the valence band of said emitter layer and a conductivity type opposite to said emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which quantum levels are formed;
a gate layer having a conduction band higher in energy than the conduction band of said emitter layer and a valence band lower in energy than the valence band of emitter layer, and further having a thickness with which the probability of electron tunneling is greatly reduced, layers being laminated in this order;
electrodes which form ohmic junctions on emitter layer and said collector layer, respectively;
and an electrode which forms a Schottky junction on gate layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A tunneling transistor according to claim 1 wherein said second semiconductor disposed between said first and third semiconductors comprises a double barrier arrangement where said third semiconductor is disposed between two layers of said second semiconductor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2)

A tunneling transistor according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said first semiconductor is replaced with said third semiconductor.