Patent
1986-04-09
1988-07-26
James, Andrew J.
357 16, 357 58, 357 4, 357 12, H01L 3300
Patent
active
047604301
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a novel semiconductor heterostructure device characterized by improved coupling of tunnelling current to an electromagnetic field in the region between doped conductive layers of the device comprising a first conductive contact layer comprising a semiconductor including a dopant material, a barrier layer in juxtaposition to the first conductive contact layer comprising a semiconductor of a different material than that of the first layer to control the tunnelling current, a non-barrier layer in juxtaposition to the barrier layer comprising an undoped, semiconductor material to provide improved coupling to the electromagnetic field, a second conductive contact layer comprising a semiconductor including a dopant material, and means for applying a bias voltage potential across the device to generate photon emissions. The invention further relates to a method of producing a far infrared and/or microwave radiation source from radiative tunnelling transitions in a semiconductor device having at least one barrier layer and a plurality of doped conductive contact layers comprising the steps of passing an intraband tunnelling current through the device so as to provide that the photon creation rate of said device is larger than the ohmic damping loss rate, and directing the emitted photons from said device so that the device functions as an electromagnetic radiation emitter which provides increased coupling of said tunnelling current to an electromagnetic field located in the region between the doped conductive layers.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4439782 (1984-03-01), Holonyak, Jr.
patent: 4578127 (1986-03-01), Gossard et al.
Chow et al., "Negative Differential Resistances from H.sub.G1-x Cd.sub.x Te-CdTe Single Quantum Barrier Heterostructures", Appl. Phys. Lett., 48(21), 26 May 1986, pp. 1485-1487.
Chang et al., "Controlled Emission in Heterojunction Structures", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 20, No. 6, Nov. 1977, pp. 2449-2450.
Coon Darryl D.
Liu Hui C.
James Andrew J.
Mintel William A.
University of Pittsburgh
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