POSSIBLE 3-TERMINAL HTS TRANSISTOR DEVICE

A non-zero, gauge invariant potential,LI has been recognized since 197 2 to occur in superconductors in various non-equilibrium circumstances . at is central to the description of the time dependent properties No n-zero values of this potential cause gap suppression, Thus if the loc al value of the potential Ir san be made sufficiently large, the mater ial can be locally snitched into the normal state. Superfluid flow mou ld no longer exist and a voltage would Pre required to sustain a preex isting current The S to N switching time is expected to he wb-picoseco nd for Nb and faster for the HTS materials, The rime scale for the res toration of superconductivity will he set by the dynamic branch mixing time, sub-nanosecond for Nb. Thus the main difficulty in designing a superconducting transistor analog using this effect is in producing a sufficiently large value of mu. We suggest that an appropriate mechani sm is provided by the injection of a current of predominantly electron - or hole-like character from a doped non-degenerate semiconductor int o a thin, current carrying superconducting film.