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US 5,796,119 AGranted
Silicon resonant tunneling
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorAlan C. Seabaugh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims9
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.