NOVEL SIC SI HETEROSTRUCTURE NEGATIVE-DIFFERENTIAL-RESISTANCE DIODE FOR USE AS SWITCH WITH HIGH ON/OFF CURRENT RATIO AND LOW-POWER DISSIPATION/

A novel p-SiC/n-Si heterostructure negative-differential-resistance (N DR) diode with special current-voltage (I-V) characteristics is report ed. Under reverse biases, the I-V curve of this device possesses an N- shaped NDR with a high peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) and a broad high-impedance valley region. For use as a switch, it can easily achi eve a very low off-state current and a high on/off current ratio, as c ompared to the conventional N-shaped NDR devices. Hence, performance w ith a more effective snitching action and lower power dissipation can be expected, Furthermore, obvious NDR's can el en be obtained at a tem perature up to 300 degrees C indicating this device is also potential for high-temperature applications.