Negative differential resistance devices and approaches therefor

US7508701B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Yue Liang · San Jose, US
• Kailash Gopalakrishnan · San Jose, US
• Peter B. Griffin · Kansas City, US
• James D. Plummer · Portola Valley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 29, 2006
• Grant date: Mar 24, 2009
• Expiry date: Jan 10, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D8/70

Abstract

Negative differential resistance devices are implemented to facilitate current flow under different operating conditions. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, an NDR device is arranged for selective passage of current through relatively high tunneling efficiency regions and relatively low tunneling efficiency regions. In some applications, a gate is used to accumulate carriers to facilitate the passage of current that is predominantly one of tunneling current and generation current, respectively, by controlling the passage of current through a relatively high tunneling efficiency region and a relatively low tunneling efficiency region. In some implementations, the NDR device is arranged to mitigate leakage in a storage device using a two-terminal connection.