OR gate based on electron interference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11056583-B1
Application number	US-202016808424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 4, 2020
Priority date	Mar 4, 2020
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

An OR-gate device includes two cross shaped structures, each cross shaped structure includes a channel. Where at an end of each channel is an ohmic contact connecting the two cross shaped structures. Each cross shaped structure includes an epitaxial layer including a III-N heterostructure such as InAlN/GaN. Wherein an amount of an In concentration of the InAlN/GaN is tuned to lattice match with GaN, resulting in electron mobility to generate ballistic electrons. A fin structure located in the channel includes a gate formed transversely to a longitudinal axis of the channel. The gate is controlled using a voltage over the fin structure. Wherein the fin structure is formed to induce an energy-field structure that shifts by an amount of the voltage to control an opening of the gate that the flow of ballistic electrons is passing through, which in turn changes a depletion width, subjecting the ballistic electrons to interference.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An OR-gate device comprising:
two cross shaped structures, each cross shaped structure includes a channel, such that at an end of each channel is an ohmic contact Y connecting the two cross shaped structures, wherein each cross shaped structure includes
an epitaxial layer forming the channel, and includes a III-N heterostructure such as InAlN/GaN, such that an amount of an In concentration of the InAlN/GaN is tuned to lattice match with GaN, resulting in electron mobility to generate ballistic electrons;
a fin structure is located in the channel, and includes
a gate formed transversely to a longitudinal axis of the channel, and the gate is controlled using a voltage over the fin structure, such that the fin structure is formed to induce an energy-field structure that is shifted by an amount of the voltage to control an opening of the gate that the flow of ballistic electrons is passing through, which in turn changes a depletion width, subjecting the ballistic electrons to interference,

wherein the semiconductor device is turned on by applying an amount of the voltage, and turned off by applying no amounts of the voltage.

2. An OR-gate device comprising:
two cross shaped structures, each cross shaped structure includes a channel, such that at an end of each channel is an ohmic contact Y connecting the two cross shaped structures, wherein the ohmic contact Y serves as an output terminal to detect a conductance state for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures, wherein each cross shaped structure includes
an epitaxial layer forming the channel, and includes a III-N heterostructure such as InAlN/GaN, such that an amount of an In concentration of the InAlN/GaN is tuned to lattice match with GaN, resulting in electron mobility to generate ballistic electrons;
a fin structure is located in the channel, and includes
a gate formed transversely to a longitudinal axis of the channel, and the gate is controlled using a voltage over the fin structure, such that the fin structure is formed to induce an energy-field structure that is shifted by an amount of the voltage to control an opening of the gate that the flow of ballistic electrons is passing through, which in turn changes a depletion width, subjecting the ballistic electrons to interference;

at least one sensor is configured to operationally detect an amount of conductance and is electrically connected to the ohmic contact Y, such that the at least one sensor is positioned approximate the ohmic contact Y,
wherein the semiconductor device is turned on by applying an amount of the voltage, and turned off by applying no amounts of the voltage.

3. An OR-gate device includes two cross shaped structures, each cross shaped structure includes a first arm, a second arm and a third arm, such that a channel from the first and second arms extends to a channel of the third arm, and when a current from a first voltage is flowing from a first electrode of the first arm to a second electrode of the second arm, a flow of ballistic electrons are generated that flow through the third arm channel from the channel of the first and second arms to the third arm channel, comprising:
each third arm for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures includes at least two fin structures positioned in series transversely to a longitudinal axis of the third arm channel, such that each fin structure includes a gate that is controlled using an individual voltage applied to an electrode of the fin structure, wherein the fin structure is formed to induce an electric-field structure that is shifted by an amount of the voltage to control an opening of the gate that the flow of ballistic electrons is passing through;
an ohmic contact Y is positioned at ends of each third arm for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures, such that the ohmic contact Y serve as an output terminal to detect a conductance state for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures; and
at least one sensor is positioned at ends of each third arm for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures, such that as voltage is applied to the electrodes of the at least two fin structures of the two cross shaped structures, the at least one sensor detects ballistic electrons,
wherein the OR-gate device is turned on by applying an amount of voltage to both electrodes of the at least two fin structures of the two cross shaped structures, and turned off by applying no amounts of voltage to either of the electrodes of the at least two fin structures of the two cross shaped structures.

4. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein the first and second arms for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures are configured as a cross shaped structure, to generate the flow of the ballistic electrons, such that a fourth arm extends along a vertical axis above the second arm.

5. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein the ballistic electrons are flowing at a high velocity such as at about 2×10 7 cm·sec −1 .

6. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one sensor is configured to operationally detect an amount of conductance and electrically connected to the ohmic contact Y.

7. The OR-gate device of claim 6 , wherein the detected amount of conductance is associated with an order of magnitude, such that the order of magnitude changes depending upon voltage applied to the gates of the at least two fin structures of the two cross shaped structures.

8. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein the flow of ballistic electrons is generated by an epitaxial layer, the epitaxial layer forms the third arm channel, and includes InAlN/GaN, such that a predetermined amount of Indium concentration is tuned to lattice match with a GaN, resulting in higher electron mobility.

9. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein the first voltage and second voltage are connected to a same ground terminal.

10. The OR-gate device of claim 3 , wherein each fin structure of the at least two fin structures of the two cross shaped structures, is a U-shaped structure having a lateral portion and two upright portions integrally formed with, and extending along a portion of the lateral portion and forming the fin structure with a U-shaped cross section, the U-shaped structure includes the electrode and a layer of an oxide material wrapped along an interior surface of the electrode.

11. An OR-gate device comprising:
two cross shaped structures, each cross shaped structure includes a first arm, a second arm and a third arm, such that a channel from the first and second arms extends to a channel of the third arm, and when a current from a first voltage is flowing from a first electrode of the first arm to a second electrode of the second arm, a flow of ballistic electrons are generated that flow through the third arm channel from the channel of the first and second arms to the third arm channel, wherein the first voltage and second voltage are connected to a same ground terminal;
each third arm for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped structures includes at least two fin structures positioned in series transversely to a longitudinal axis of the third arm channel, such that each fin structure includes a gate that is controlled using an individual voltage applied to an electrode of the fin structure, wherein the fin structure is formed to induce an electric-field structure that is shifted by an amount of the voltage to control an opening of the gate that the flow of ballistic electrons is passing through;
an ohmic contact Y is positioned at ends of each third arm for each cross shaped structure of the two cross shaped

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Res Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Teo Koon Hoo
• Chowdhurry Nadim

Classifications

• H10P50/246

  of Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10D62/8503

  Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN · CPC title

• H10D62/824

  comprising only Group III-V materials heterojunctions, e.g. GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions · CPC title

• H10D30/015

  of FETs having heterojunction interface channels or heterojunction gate electrodes, e.g. HEMT · CPC title