Diode breaks electronic speed record
A team of researchers from Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), the Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC), and the University of California (Riverside, CA) has created a tunnel diode offering three times the current rate of its closest competitors. This development promises to generate faster, cheaper, and smaller electronics for wireless and mixed-signal applications such as cell phones.
Until recently, tunnel diodes not only were difficult to mass-produce, but were not compatible with the silicon-based chips used in today's electronics. Researching silicon-based tunnel diodes, the team used an interband tunnel diode configuration that requires doping instead of conduction band offsets.
The team was able to infuse silicon with large amounts of dopants, and by controlling the temperature, they were able to create a diode that was suited for high-tunneling current. The diode is capable of transmitting at 151,000 A/cm2 ; for comparison, standard wiring at home delivers a maximum current density of only 700 A/cm2 .
The researchers developed the diode with support from the National Science Foundation. More information is available from Paul Berger, principle investigator at Ohio State University, at http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/~berger or from Josh Chamot, public information officer for the National Science Foundation, at 703-292-7730 or by e-mail at .
�Christina Nickolas
Advertisement
