Nine-state resonant tunneling diode memory

The authors demonstrate an epitaxial series combination of eight pseudomorphic AlAs/In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InAs resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on InP. This series RTD produces an eight-peak multiple negative differential resistance characteristic with a peak-to-valley current ratio (PVR) exceeding 2 per peak at a peak current density of approximately 6 kA/cm ². Hysteresis in the current-voltage characteristic is reduced by uniformly Si doping the double-barrier resonant tunneling region at a density of 5×10¹⁶ cm^-3. Using this multiple-peak RTD in series with a field-effect transistor load, a nine-state multivalued memory circuit is demonstrated     

硅基隧穿二极管

隧穿二极管是一种很有前途的基于带隙工程的异质结构量子器件,其电流电压(I-V)曲线中所呈现的微分负阻特性能够用于开发多种不同的电路功能。在最近的研究中,空穴型双势垒单势阱共振隧穿二极管得到了实现,为Si1-xGex/Si异质结隧穿二极管器件的改进和电路应用打下了良好的基础。     

Experimental demonstration of single peak IV characteristics in anovel resonant tunneling diode

Single peak IV characteristics are experimentally demonstrated by a novel resonant tunneling diode, a resonant tunneling pinch-off diode (RTPD), specially designed to make the coupling between the pinch-off effect and the resonant tunneling effect in the diode itself effective. RTPDs were fabricated using the InGaAs-AlAs-InAlAs material system grown by MBE on semi-insulating InP substrate. Device parameter (emitter width and collector thickness) dependence of the IV characteristics is investigated and compared with previously reported theory. Good agreement between them confirms that the mechanism that brings about the novel characteristics in the RTPD is the above mentioned coupling, and gives guidelines for achieving an RTPD with ideal single peak IV characteristics     

Sequential mechanism of electron transport in the resonant tunneling diode with thick barriers

A frequency-dependent impedance analysis (0.1–50 GHz) of an InGaAs/InAlAs-based resonant tunneling diode with a 5-nm-wide well and 5-nm-thick barriers showed that the transport mechanism in such a diode is mostly sequential, rather than coherent, which is consistent with estimates. The possibility of determining the coherent and sequential mechanism fractions in the electron transport through the resonant tunneling diode by its frequency dependence on the impedance is discussed.     

Microwave detection using the resonant tunneling diode

An experimental and theoretical study in the use of a resonant tunneling diode (RTD) as a microwave detector, based on its small-signal equivalent circuit model, is presented. It is shown that the rectified current from the diode can be accurately predicted and that the diode can be operated as a reactive microwave detector which absorbs no microwave power. For this detection mode, a matching network which maximizes the applied AC voltage can be used     

A triple-well resonant tunneling diode for multiple-valued logicapplication

A resonant tunneling diode with four potential barriers and three quantum wells was fabricated and applied to multiple-valued logic. The diode exhibited significant double negative resistance characteristics and operated as a triple stable device with a single voltage between 180 and 230 K     

Integration of a resonant tunneling diode and an optical communications laser

We report on the first integration of a resonant tunneling diode and an optical communications laser operating at around 1.5 /spl mu/m. We demonstrate its low-frequency bistable operation and model its electrical characteristics.     

Pspice resonant tunneling diode models and application circuits

Using the analogue behavioural modelling capabilities of Pspice, the current–voltage characteristics and the large-signal equivalent circuit of a resonant tunneling diode are exploited to create a Pspice compatible model for the diode. The model is used, with very few other components, in the simulation of a number of circuit applications, including a sinusoidal wave generator, a frequency multiplier and three state logic circuits. The simulated circuit details, the related waveforms and three-state logic operations are described. The circuits are characterized mainly by their reduced complexity and ease of analysis.     

Unified AC model for the resonant tunneling diode

A physics-based model is shown to yield the small-signal equivalent circuit of the resonant tunneling diode (RTD) including an analytic expression for both the quantum inductance and capacitance. This model unifies previous models by Brown et al. for quantum inductance and by Lake and Yang for quantum capacitance, and extends the RTD SPICE model of Broekaert. The equivalent circuit has been fit to both current-voltage and microwave S-parameter measurements of AlAs-InGaAs-InAs-InGaAs-AlAs RTDs from 45 MHz to 30 GHz and over biases from 0 to 0.81 V. Good agreement between the model and measurement is shown.     

器件模拟对AlGaAs/GaAs RTD的特性分析(英文)

使用SILVACO公司的器件模拟软件ATLAS对AlGaAs/GaAs共振隧穿二极管(RTD)进行了器件模拟,得到了不同结构的RTD的I-V特性曲线。对量子阱宽度、掺杂浓度、势垒宽度和高度对RTD的I-V特性的影响进行了详细的分析。     

Two-band combined model of a resonant tunneling diode

A two-band combined model of a resonant tunneling diode, based on the semiclassical and quantum mechanical (the wave function formalism) approaches is proposed. The main specific feature of this model is the possibility of taking into account the interaction between different classical or quantum mechanical device regions with simultaneous consideration of the Γ-X intervalley scattering. It is shown that this model gives satisfactory agreement with the experimental data on the current-voltage characteristics and allows explanation of the plateau region in these characteristics within the stationary model.     

Role of structure sizes in determining the characteristics of the resonant tunneling diode

Using the Wigner function formalism, we study the effects of structural parameters on the DC I-V characteristics and on the large-signal transient response of the resonant tunneling diode. We model two types of structures of GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs; first, with symmetric barriers ranging from 3 to 8 nanometers in thickness separated by a 5 nanometer well, and second with a well varying from 3 to 8 nanometers between 3 nanometer barriers. Experimental variation of the barrier thickness and height changes the peak-to-valley ratio in the I-V curve, as predicted by elementary models of tunneling structures. This stems directly from the changes in tunneling probabilities. For the DC studies, we show that the peak-to-valley ratio in the I-V curve is a function of the resonance width, which depends both on the well and barrier thickness. The location of the peak on the I-V curve depends on the location of the resonant energy, which is a function of the well width. Transient switching behavior is compared to earlier numerical studies of tunneling times of wave packets. Charge storage stabilizes the position of the resonant state, thus damping the transients. Consequently, wider barriers yield faster transient settling times, in agreement with the tunneling time results which predicted longer charge storage times for thicker barriers.     

Optical control of resonant tunneling diode monolithically integrated with PIN photodiode

Optical control of the resonant tunneling characteristics of an integrated optoelectronic device with a monolithic integrated double-barrier/PIN structure is studied. Optical switching of the bistable resonant tunneling state and optical injection locking of a resonant tunneling oscillator at 1 GHz are demonstrated.     

共振隧穿二极管

设计并研制出室温工作的共振隧穿二极管,室温电流峰谷比达到7.6:1,最高振荡频率为54GHz。本文对RTD的设计、研制过程、参数和特性测试进行了系统的分析和说明。     

A Wigner function-based quantum ensemble Monte Carlo study of a resonant tunneling diode

We present results of resonant tunneling diode operation achieved from a particle-based quantum ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) simulation that is based on the Wigner distribution function (WDF). Methods of including the Wigner potential into the EMC, to incorporate natural quantum phenomena, via a particle property we call the affinity are discussed. Dissipation is included via normal Monte Carlo procedures and the solution is coupled to a Poisson solver to achieve fully selfconsistent results.     

Novel AlInAsSb/InGaAs double-barrier resonant tunneling diode withhigh peak-to-valley current ratio at room temperature

We demonstrate a novel Al_0.66In_0.34As_0.85Sb_0.15-In _0.53Ga_0.47As double-barrier resonant tunneling diode grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. A high peak-to-valley current ratio of 46 and a peak current density of 22 kA/cm² were obtained at room temperature     

Resonant tunneling permeable base transistors with high transconductance

A GaAs-based resonant tunneling permeable base transistor has been developed and evaluated at room temperature. The transistor is fabricated by overgrowing a tungsten gate placed next to an AlGaAs-GaAs-InGaAs resonant tunneling heterostructure. By changing the gate voltage, the effective conducting area of the tunnel diode can be modulated and the collector-emitter current thus controlled. Peak currents above 300 mA/mm and a maximum transconductance of 270 mS/mm have been obtained.     

Coupled-quantum-well field-effect resonant tunneling transistor formulti-valued logic/memory applications

A vertical field-effect resonant tunneling transistor is demonstrated consisting of a triple-barrier, double-well resonant tunneling diode (3bRTD) that can be depleted by the action of side gates. The 3bRTD features a double peak current-voltage characteristic in which the second valley current is less than the first valley current. Combination of the resonant tunneling transistor and a constant current load is shown to yield both binary and ternary logic and memory functions     

An on-chip temperature sensor by utilizing a MOS tunneling diode

A simple metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) tunneling diode was demonstrated for application to an integrated temperature sensor. The MOS diode equipped with a 21-Å oxide was biased inversely at 1.8 V to monitor its substrate temperature through gate current. The gate current increased more than 700 times when the diode was heated from 20 to 110°C. An exponential fitting curve correlated the gate current and the substrate temperature. Moreover, characteristics of the diode were analyzed though C-V and I_{1.8 V}-n_i curves. The good temperature response of the MOS tunneling diode might be useful in self-diagnosis or self-protection IC applications     

Effect of radial growth rate variation on resonant tunneling diode current-Voltage characteristics

The uniformity of electronic device characteristics is dependent on the uniformity of the epitaxial material. Uniformity is particularly important for resonant tunneling diodes where small changes in well or barrier thickness can have profound effects on the diode current-voltage characteristics. The variability of these characteristics due to growth rate nonuniformity for epitaxial structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy has been documented and the magnitude of the thickness variations analyzed using photoluminescence and a theoretical model. An increase of 17 meV was observed in the quantum well ground state, corresponding to a 15% thinning of the well from the center to the edge of the substrate.