Tunneling Diodes Research Articles

Nonvolatile memory operations using intersubband transitions in GaN/AlN resonant tunneling diodes grown on Si(111) substrates

Nonvolatile memory using intersubband transitions and quantum-well electron accumulation in GaN/AlN resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) is a promising candidate for high-speed nonvolatile memory operating on a picosecond timescale. This memory has been fabricated on sapphire(0001) substrates to date because of the high affinity between the nitride materials and the substrate. However, the fabrication of this memory on Si(111) substrates is attractive to realize hybrid integration with Si devices and nonvolatile memory and three-dimensional integration such as chip-on-wafer and wafer-on-wafer. In this study, GaN/AlN RTDs are fabricated on a Si(111) substrate using metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. The large strain caused by the differences in the thermal expansion coefficients and lattice constants between the Si(111) substrate and nitride materials are suppressed by a growth technique based on the insertion of low-temperature-grown AlGaN and thin AlN layers. The GaN/AlN RTDs fabricated on Si(111) substrates show clear GaN/AlN heterointerfaces and a high ON/OFF ratio of >220, which are equivalent to those for devices fabricated on sapphire(0001) substrates. However, the nonvolatile memory characteristics fluctuate by repeated write/erase memory operations. Evaluation of the ON/OFF switching time and endurance characteristics indicates that the instability of the nonvolatile memory characteristics is caused by electron leakage through deep levels in the quantum-well structure. Possible methods for suppressing this are discussed with an aim of realizing high-speed and high-endurance nonvolatile memory.

Ultralow Power Electronic Analog of a Biological Fitzhugh-Nagumo Neuron.

Here, we introduce an electronic circuit that mimics the functionality of a biological spiking neuron following the Fitzhugh-Nagumo (FN) model. The circuit consists of a tunnel diode that exhibits negative differential resistance (NDR) and an active inductive element implemented by a single MOSFET. The FN neuron converts a DC voltage excitation into voltage spikes analogous to biological action potentials. We predict an energy cost of 2 aJ/cycle through detailed simulation and modeling for these FN neurons. Such an FN neuron is CMOS compatible and enables ultralow power oscillatory and spiking neural network hardware. We demonstrate that FN neurons can be used for oscillator-based computing in a coupled oscillator network to form an oscillator Ising machine (OIM) that can solve computationally hard NP-complete max-cut problems while showing robustness toward process variations.

The formation of invariant optical soliton structures to electric-signal in the telegraph lines on basis of the tunnel diode and chaos visualization, conserved quantities: Lie point symmetry approach

This study critically examines the nonlinear Lonngren wave model, a mathematical representation used to describe waves in shallow water environments such as beaches, lakes, and rivers, as well as electrical signals in semiconductor materials like tunnel diodes. The symmetry generators take into account the Lie invariance criteria. A three-dimensional Lie algebra can be obtained by using the suggested methodology. It links translation symmetries in space and time, respectively, with conservation of mass and energy. The third symmetry pertains to scaling or dilation. Recognizing the constraints of the inverse scattering transform in addressing the Cauchy problem for this equation, the investigation adopts new auxiliary equation approach to ordinary differential equations. This approach yields closed-form analytical solutions for the wave model. The obtained solutions include a plane solution, mixed hyperbolic solution, periodic and mixed periodic solutions, mixed trigonometric solution, smooth soliton, trigonometric solution, mixed singular solution, complex solitary and singular solution. Furthermore, the study develops the Hamiltonian function of the dynamical system to discuss the total energy of the system in terms of its position and momentum. Chaos analysis is performed to describe periodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic behaviours, and a sensitivity analysis highlights the model’s sensitivity to different wave numbers. Graphical representations of selected solutions are presented in both 3-D and 2-D, illustrating the behaviour under specific physical conditions. The study concludes by identifying a comprehensive set of local conservation laws for the nonlinear Lonngren wave equation, applicable to arbitrary constant coefficients, using conservation laws multipliers.

Sampled-data based asynchronous control for persistent dwell-time switched systems: A delay-dependent Lyapunov functional approach

This paper mainly investigates the sampled-data control issue for switched systems with persistent dwell-time under input time delay. Unlike the common controller design, the existence of the delay makes it possible for the subsystem switching to occur during the sampling intervals, which leads to asynchronous problem. By means of the novel functional consisting of piecewise-continuous delay-dependent Lyapunov functional and looped-functionals, some solvability criteria are given under sufficient consideration of the switching frequency. Furthermore, the stability criterion is formulated by the sum of squares program and the global optimal solution is further provided, which exponentially stabilizes the system. Finally, a numerical example as well as an application design of the tunnel diode circuit are studied, both of which demonstrate the proposed method’s validity and feasibility.

Composition, Optical Resonances, and Doping of InP/InGaP Nanowires for Tandem Solar Cells: a Micro-Raman Analysis.

We present a micro-Raman study of InP/InGaP tandem junction photovoltaic nanowires. These nanowires render possible InGaP compositions that cannot be made in thin films due to strain. The micro-Raman spectra acquired along the nanowires reveal the existence of compositional changes in the InGaP alloy associated with the doping sequence. The heavily Zn-doped InxGa1-xP (x is the In molar fraction) side of the tunnel diode is Ga rich, x = 0.25, with respect to the n-type and intrinsic segments of the top cell, which are close to the nominal composition of the NWs (x = 0.35). The p-type end segment is still Ga-rich. Electromagnetic resonances are observed in the tunnel diode. The Raman signal arising from the InGaP side of the tunnel diode is significantly enhanced. This enhancement permits the observation of a Raman mode that can be associated with an LO phonon plasmon coupled mode (LOPCM). This mode has not been previously reported in the literature of InGaP, and it permits the Raman characterization of the tunnel diode. The analysis of this mode and its relation to the LO phonon modes of the alloy, InP-like and GaP-like, allows to establish an apparent one-mode behavior for the phonon plasmon coupling. It indicates that hole plasma couples to the GaP-like LO mode. The LOPCMs are modeled using the Lindhard Mermin formalism for the dielectric function.

Optical Analysis of Perovskite III-V Nanowires Interpenetrated Tandem Solar Cells.

Multi-junction photovoltaics approaches are being explored to mitigate thermalization losses that occur in the absorption of high-energy photons. However, the design of tandem cells faces challenges such as light reflection and parasitic absorption. Nanostructures have emerged as promising solutions due to their anti-reflection properties, which enhances light absorption. III-V nanowires (NWs) solar cells can achieve strong power conversion efficiencies, offering the advantage of potentially integrating tunnel diodes within the same fabrication process. Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have gained attention for their optoelectronic attributes and cost-effectiveness. Notably, both material classes allow for tunable bandgaps. This study explores the integration of MHPs with III-V NWs solar cells in both two-terminal and three-terminal configurations. Our primary focus lies in the optical analysis of a tandem design using III-V semiconductor nanowire arrays in combination with perovskites, highlighting their potential for tandem applications. The space offered by the compact footprint of NW arrays is used in an interpenetrated tandem structure. We systematically optimize the bottom cell, addressing reflectivity and parasitic absorption, and extend to a full tandem structure, considering experimentally feasible thicknesses. Simulation of a three-terminal structure highlights a potential increase in efficiency, decoupling the operating points of the subcells. The two-terminal analysis underscores the benefits of nanowires in reducing reflection and achieving a higher matched current between the top and the bottom cells. This research provides significant insights into NW tandem solar cell optics, enhancing our understanding of their potential to improve photovoltaic performance.

Electrical characterization of multi-gated WSe2/MoS2 van der Waals heterojunctions

Vertical stacking of different two-dimensional (2D) materials into van der Waals heterostructures exploits the properties of individual materials as well as their interlayer coupling, thereby exhibiting unique electrical and optical properties. Here, we study and investigate a system consisting entirely of different 2D materials for the implementation of electronic devices that are based on quantum mechanical band-to-band tunneling transport such as tunnel diodes and tunnel field-effect transistors. We fabricated and characterized van der Waals heterojunctions based on semiconducting layers of WSe2 and MoS2 by employing different gate configurations to analyze the transport properties of the junction. We found that the device dielectric environment is crucial for achieving tunneling transport across the heterojunction by replacing thick oxide dielectrics with thin layers of hexagonal-boronnitride. With the help of additional top gates implemented in different regions of our heterojunction device, it was seen that the tunneling properties as well as the Schottky barriers at the contact interfaces could be tuned efficiently by using layers of graphene as an intermediate contact material.

Hole-tunneling Si0.82Ge0.18/Si triple-barrier resonant tunneling diodes with high peak current of 297 kA/cm2 fabricated by sputter epitaxy

Hole-tunneling Si0.82Ge0.18/Si asymmetric triple-barrier (TB) resonant tunneling diodes (p-RTDs) were created by sputter epitaxy instead of conventional chemical vapor phase epitaxy. As a result, a peak current density (PCD) of 297 kA/cm2 with a peak-to-valley current ratio of 7.3 was recorded at room temperature. The observed high planarity of the films grown by sputter epitaxy is also considered one of the factors behind the high PCD. From the results of self-consistent theoretical calculations of current–voltage characteristics using box-shaped potentials as a first approximation and considering space charge effects of quantum wells, heavy-hole-to-heavy-hole and light-hole-to-light-hole state transitions under the tunneling conditions of the TB potential structure applied in this study were found to be inherent current paths. Moreover, the light and heavy hole currents contribute almost equally to the overall device current, resulting in a theoretical PCD of 637 kA/cm2, which is close to the experimental result. Further analytical simulations with adjusted series resistance and thickness of the nondoped layer allowed the alignment of the theoretically obtained PCD voltage position with the experimentally obtained one. Thus, the theoretical and analytical calculations explain the operation mechanisms of SiGe/Si p-RTDs, and the proposed fabrication method using our sputter epitaxy method is very useful for the actual production of high-PCD SiGe/Si p-RTDs operating at room temperature.

Design and Simulation of Tunneling Diodes with 2D Insulators for Rectenna Switches.

Rectenna is the key component in radio-frequency circuits for receiving and converting electromagnetic waves into direct current. However, it is very challenging for the conventional semiconductor diode switches to rectify high-frequency signals for 6G telecommunication (>100 GHz), medical detection (>THz), and rectenna solar cells (optical frequencies). Such a major challenge can be resolved by replacing the conventional semiconductor diodes with tunneling diodes as the rectenna switches. In this work, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunneling diodes based on 2D insulating materials were designed, and their performance was evaluated using a comprehensive simulation approach which includes a density-function theory simulation of 2D insulator materials, the modeling of the electrical characteristics of tunneling diodes, and circuit simulation for rectifiers. It is found that novel 2D insulators such as monolayer TiO2 can be obtained by oxidizing sulfur-metal layered materials. The MIM diodes based on such insulators exhibit fast tunneling and excellent current rectifying properties. Such tunneling diodes effectively convert the received high-frequency electromagnetic waves into direct current.

Resonant Tunnelling and Intersubband Optical Properties of ZnO/ZnMgO Semiconductor Heterostructures: Impact of Doping and Layer Structure Variation.

ZnO-based heterostructures are up-and-coming candidates for terahertz (THz) optoelectronic devices, largely owing to their innate material attributes. The significant ZnO LO-phonon energy plays a pivotal role in mitigating thermally induced LO-phonon scattering, potentially significantly elevating the temperature performance of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). In this work, we calculate the electronic structure and absorption of ZnO/ZnMgO multiple semiconductor quantum wells (MQWs) and the current density-voltage characteristics of nonpolar m-plane ZnO/ZnMgO double-barrier resonant tunnelling diodes (RTDs). Both MQWs and RTDs are considered here as two building blocks of a QCL. We show how the doping, Mg percentage and layer thickness affect the absorption of MQWs at room temperature. We confirm that in the high doping concentrations regime, a full quantum treatment that includes the depolarisation shift effect must be considered, as it shifts mid-infrared absorption peak energy for several tens of meV. Furthermore, we also focus on the performance of RTDs for various parameter changes and conclude that, to maximise the peak-to-valley ratio (PVR), the optimal doping density of the analysed ZnO/Zn88Mg12O double-barrier RTD should be approximately 1018 cm-3, whilst the optimal barrier thickness should be 1.3 nm, with a Mg mole fraction of ~9%.

Secure memory adaptive event‐triggered filter design of nonlinear network system under hybrid network attacks with application to tunnel diode circuit

AbstractThis article investigates the problem of secure memory adaptive event‐triggered filter design for nonlinear network systems under hybrid network attacks. First, the introduction of memory adaptive event‐triggered mechanism and numerical quantization is employed to enhance system performance, optimize network channel utilization, and prevent network congestion. Second, we consider the impact of deceptive attacks and DoS attacks occurring in the network channel on data transmission, which form the hybrid network attacks studied in this article. Subsequently, based on the established error model, we derive sufficient conditions for the mean‐square exponential stability of the system under a given performance index using Lyapunov–Krasovskii function and linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques. Furthermore, the filter parameters are determined using the LMI method. Finally, we illustrate the feasibility and generality of the conclusions through numerical simulation examples and a tunnel diode circuit system.

Record peak current density of over 1500 kA/cm2 in highly scaled AlN/GaN double-barrier resonant tunneling diodes on free-standing GaN substrates

This work demonstrates high-performance AlN/GaN double-barrier resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) with high peak current density grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c-plane free-standing GaN substrates, featuring stable and repeatable negative differential resistance (NDR) characteristics at room temperature. By scaling down the barrier thickness of AlN barrier and the lateral mesa size of collector, the record peak current density of 1551 kA/cm2 is achieved along with a peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 1.24, which is attributed to the reduced resonant tunneling time under thinner AlN barrier and the suppressed external incoherent valley current by reducing the dislocation number contained in the RTD device with the smaller size of collector. By statistically analyzing the NDR performance of RTD devices with different thicknesses of AlN barrier, the average peak current density increases from 145.7 to 1215.1 kA/cm2, while the average PVCR decreases from 1.45 to 1.1, correspondingly, accompanying with a decreased peak voltage from 6.89 to 5.49 V, with downscaling the AlN barrier thickness from 1.5 to 1.25 nm. The peak current density obtained in this work is the highest value among all the reported nitride-based RTDs up until now while maintaining high PVCR value simultaneously, which illustrates that ultra-scaled RTD based on vertical quantum-well structure and lateral collector size is a valuable approach for the development of nitride-based RTDs with excellent NDR characteristics and reveals their great potential applications in high-frequency oscillation sources and high-speed switch circuits.

State/fault Estimation and Fault-tolerant Control by SOS approaches under Unmeasurable States

This paper constructs a novel state/fault estimation (SFE) observer and integrated fault-tolerant controller for a series of tunnel diode circuits based on SOS approaches. The unmeasurable states are taken into consideration, expanding the application scope of the method, while a reduced-order observer is proposed to lighten the computational burden. The fault-tolerant control (FTC) unit is co-designed considering the estimation error, and a decoupling technique is employed to reduce computational complexity. For lower conservativeness, stable constraints ensuring the stability of the augmented system under H ∞ performance γ are given in the format of sum-of-squares (SOS). Finally, the validity of the proposed method is verified through a simulation experiment of a tunnel diode circuit.

Analytical Modeling of the Temporal Response of the Transient Displacement Currents in MIS Tunnel Diodes Under Low-Voltage Operation

Analytical Modeling of the Temporal Response of the Transient Displacement Currents in MIS Tunnel Diodes Under Low-Voltage Operation

Axial Growth Characteristics of Optically Active InGaAs Nanowire Heterostructures for Integrated Nanophotonic Devices.

III-V semiconductor nanowire (NW) heterostructures with axial InGaAs active regions hold large potential for diverse on-chip device applications, including site-selectively integrated quantum light sources, NW lasers with high material gain, as well as resonant tunneling diodes and avalanche photodiodes. Despite various promising efforts toward high-quality single or multiple axial InGaAs heterostacks using noncatalytic growth mechanisms, the important roles of facet-dependent shape evolution, crystal defects, and the applicability to more universal growth schemes have remained elusive. Here, we report the growth of optically active InGaAs axial NW heterostructures via completely catalyst-free, selective-area molecular beam epitaxy directly on silicon (Si) using GaAs(Sb) NW arrays as tunable, high-uniformity growth templates and highlight fundamental relationships between structural, morphological, and optical properties of the InGaAs region. Structural, compositional, and 3D-tomographic characterizations affirm the desired directional growth along the NW axis with no radial growth observed. Clearly distinct luminescence from the InGaAs active region is demonstrated, where tunable array-geometry parameters and In content up to 20% are further investigated. Based on the underlying twin-induced growth mode, we further describe the facet-dependent shape and interface evolution of the InGaAs segment and its direct correlation with emission energy.

H∞ state estimation of continuous-time neural networks with uncertainties.

[Formula: see text] state estimation is addressed for continuous-time neural networks in the paper. The norm-bounded uncertainties are considered in communication neural networks. For the considered neural networks with uncertainties, a reduced-order [Formula: see text] state estimator is designed, which makes that the error dynamics is exponentially stable and has weighted [Formula: see text] performance index by Lyapunov function method. Moreover, it is also given the devised method of the reduced-order [Formula: see text] state estimator. Then, considering that sampling the output y(t) of the neural network at every moment will result in waste of excess resources, the event-triggered sampling strategy is used to solve the oversampling problem. In addition, a devised method is also given for the event-triggered reduced-order [Formula: see text] state estimator. Finally, by the well-known Tunnel Diode Circuit example, it shows that a lower order state estimator can be designed under the premise of maintaining the same weighted [Formula: see text] performance index, and using the event-triggered sampling method can reduce the computational and time costs and save communication resources.

Bifurcation analysis, chaotic structures and wave propagation for nonlinear system arising in oceanography

This study focuses on the variant Boussinesq equation, which is used to model waves in shallow water and electrical signals in telegraph lines based on tunnel diodes. The aim of this study is to find closed-form wave solutions using the extended direct algebraic method. By employing this method, a range of wave solutions with distinct shapes, including shock, mixed-complex solitary-shock, singular,mixed-singular, mixed trigonometric, periodic, mixed-shock singular, mixed-periodic, and mixed-hyperbolic solutions, are attained. To illustrate the propagation of selected exact solutions, graphical representations in 2D, contour, and 3D are provided with various parametric values. The equation is transformed into a planar dynamical structure through the Galilean transformation. By utilizing bifurcation theory, the potential phase portraits of nonlinear and super-nonlinear traveling wave solutions are investigated. The Hamiltonian function of the dynamical system of differential equations is established, revealing the system’s conservative nature over time. The graphical representation of energy levels offers valuable insights and demonstrates that the model has closed-form solutions.

Vertically Processed GaInP/InP Tandem-Junction Nanowire Solar Cells.

We present vertically processed photovoltaic devices based on GaInP/InP tandem-junction III-V nanowires (NWs), contacting approximately 3 million NWs in parallel for each device. The GaInP and InP subcells as well as the connecting Esaki tunnel diode are all realized within the same NW. By processing GaInP/InP tandem-junction NW solar cells with varying compositions of the top junction GaInP material, we investigate the impact of the GaInP composition on the device performance. External quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements on devices with varying GaInP composition provide insights into the performance of the respective subcells, revealing that the GaInP subcell is current-limiting for all devices. I-V measurements under AM1.5G illumination confirm voltage addition of the subcells, resulting in an open-circuit voltage of up to 1.91 V. However, the short-circuit current density is low, ranging between 0.24 and 3.44 mA/cm2, which leads to a resulting solar conversion efficiency of up to 3.60%. Our work shows a path forward toward high-efficiency NW photovoltaics and identifies critical issues that need improvement.

Hidden Markov model‐based ℋ∞ control for singular Markov jump systems under denial of service attacks

AbstractThis work investigates the control problem of discrete‐time singular Markov jump systems against denial of service attacks, in which the Markov state information is seen as restricted access. To solve this situation, a hidden Markov model is introduced. The main objective is to construct a controller with the help of hidden Markov model such that the stochastically admissible of the closed‐loop singular Markov jump systems with limited access mode information can be guaranteed under denial of service attacks. To produce the needed hidden Markov model‐based controller, a matrix contract transformation approach is developed. At the end, a numerical example and a tunnel diode circuit are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefit of the design technique described in this research.

Broken-gap energy alignment in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures for multifunctional tunnel diodes.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising platforms for future nanoelectronic technologies as they provide the building blocks for atomically thin devices, including switches, amplifiers, and oscillators. When 2D materials are layered on top of each other, forming van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), they can provide unique properties not possessed by the individual layers. Here we consider the vdWHs HfS2/MoTe2, HfS2/WTe2, 1T-HfS2/WTe2, TiS2/WSe2, TiS2/ZnO, and TiSe2/WTe2 as potential Esaki (or tunnel) diodes that can be incorporated into electronic devices. In this work, the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalised-gradient approximation (meta-GGA) functional is employed for the structural properties, whereas the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) functional is used for the electronic properties. We establish that the band alignments in these systems form broken-band heterojunctions. We show that the electronic properties of the systems can be effectively modulated by applying lateral strain or an external electric field. Importantly, we demonstrate that the band gap of the vdWHs can be widened by up to 0.65 eV by applying an electric force field of -1 to +1 eV Å-1. This work demonstrates a set of 6 vdWHs with properties suitable for application as 2D Esaki tunnel diodes, 4 of which could be applied as multifunctional devices. These materials not only offer new device properties, but their small dimensions allow for the creation of ultrathin devices.