HETEROSTRUCTURE INSULATED GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTORS OPERATED IN HOT-ELECTRON REGIME

The experimental study of the hot-electron, real-space transfer regime of operation in the Al.7Ga.3As/ln.2Ga.8As/GaAs heterostructure insula ted gate field effect transistors (HIGFET's) demonstrates that the dev ice transconductance in this regime of operation can be more than one order of magnitude higher than in the conventional mode of operation. In this hot-electron regime of operation, the drain-to-source voltage acts as the input voltage, and the gate current as the output current. The reason for the observed large transconductance is a large conduct ion band discontinuity between the Al.7Ga.3As and In.2Ga.8As which cau ses the real space transfer at higher electron energies leading to a m ore rapid increase of the gate current with an increase in the drain-t o-source voltage.