Photosensitive Silicon Bipolar Negative-Differential-Resistance Device with Controlled I–U Characteristic

Abstract

A photosensitive negative-differential-resistance (NDR) device has been developed based on two low-power bipolar silicon transistors on a common substrate, with the emitter junction of one transistor shunted by the conducting channel of the other transistor. As the intensity of IR radiation incident on the shunting transistor increases, the peak current in the N-shaped I-U characteristic decreases until it vanishes completely. An increase in the intensity of IR radiation incident on the shunted transistor leads to a significant increase in the peak current.