Semi-conductor device with programmable response
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAli Afzali-Ardakani, Tze-chiang Chen, Kailash Gopalakrishnan, Bahman Hekmatshoartabari, Young H. Kwark
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus with a programmable response includes a semi-conductor device with a junction formed thereon, the junction having a built-in potential, a quantum well element proximate to the junction that provides an energy well within a depletion region of the junction. The energy well comprises one or more donor energy states that support electron trapping, and/or one or more acceptor energy states that support hole trapping; thereby modulating the built-in potential of the junction. The semi-conductor device may be a diode, a bipolar diode, a transistor, or the like. A corresponding method is also disclosed herein.
Claims20
An apparatus with a programmable response, the apparatus comprising:
- a semi-conductor device with a junction formed thereon, the junction having a built-in potential;
- a quantum well element proximate to the junction that provides an energy well within a depletion region of the junction;
- wherein the energy well comprises one or more donor energy states that support electron trapping and/or one or more acceptor energy states that support hole trapping;
- and
- wherein the built-in potential of the junction corresponds to a net polarity of holes and electrons trapped by the one or more donor energy states and/or one or more acceptor energy states.
A method for obtaining a programmable response, the method comprising:
- providing a semi-conductor device with:
- a junction formed thereon, the junction having a built-in potential,
- a quantum well element proximate to the junction that provides an energy well within a depletion region of the junction,
- wherein the energy well comprises one or more donor energy states that support electron trapping and/or one or more acceptor energy states that support hole trapping, and
- wherein the built-in potential of the junction corresponds to a net polarity of holes and electrons trapped by the one or more donor energy states and/or one or more acceptor energy states;
- applying a programming signal to the semi-conductor device;
- and
- detecting a response of the semi-conductor device to a read signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.