Integration of resonant-tunneling transistors and hot-electron transistors

Abstract

We have integrated a tunneling hot-electron transfer amplifier (THETA) and a novel resonant-tunneling hot-electron transfer amplifier (RTHETA) within a single epitaxial growth. At room temperature, the THETA exhibits a common-emitter current gain of greater than six and a voltage swing of 800 mV when measured in an inverter configuration. The RTHETA exhibits similar common-emitter current gain and a four-state voltage transfer characteristic with an output voltage swing of 1 V. In contrast to the resonant-tunneling hot-electron transistor (RHET), the RTHETA exhibits current gain both before and after the resonant peak voltage. From on-wafer S-parameter measurements, the current-gain cut-off frequency (f/sub T/) and the maximum frequency of oscillation f/sub max/) for both transistors are approximately 20 GHz and 9 GHz, respectively.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>