Three terminal tunneling device and method

摘要

A tunneling device (50) with the emitter (62) to collector (58) current transported by resonant tunneling through a quantum well (52) and controlled by carriers injected into the well (52) from a base (60) is disclosed. The injected carriers occupy a first energy level in the well (52) and the resonant tunneling is thorough a second energy level in the well (52) thereby separating the controlled carriers from the controlling carriers. Three-terminal tunneling devices using three different bandgap semiconductor materials to segregate controlling carriers from controlled carriers are disclosed. Preferred embodiments include narrow bandgap quantum wells and medium bandgap emitters so that narrow bandgap bases may inject and withdraw controlling electrons to the well by tunneling with the controlled electron current tunneling through a higher energy level in the well or so that medium bandgap bases may control holes in the well with only a small forward bias on the emitter-base junction and thereby control electrons tunneling through the well from emitter to collector.