Reaction-Diffusion Devices Using Minority-Carrier Transport in Semiconductors

Abstract

The purpose of this work is the development of novel silicon devices that imitate the lively, dynamic behavior of the reactiondiffusion (RD) system. The RD system is a complex system in which reaction and diffusion of chemical species coexist under a nonequilibrium condition[1]. It produces a variety of orders, rhythms and selforganizing phenomena observed in nature and in life. We are developing electronic analogues of the RD system with the aim of creating novel information-processing hardware. As the first step toward the goal, we propose in this report a RD device that utilizes autocatalytic multiplication and diffusion of minority carriers in a p-n-p-n diode array.