The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 20, 1994
Filed:
Apr. 14, 1993
Mitra Dutta, Matawan, NJ (US);
Gerald J Iafrate, Raleigh, NC (US);
Ki W Kim, Durham, NC (US);
Michael A Stroscio, Durham, NC (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A phonon modulator which includes a semiconductor body having at least first and second polar semiconductor quantum wells formed therein separated by a polar semiconductor barrier. The conduction band energies of the wells and barrier are selected such that the lowest energy electronic states in the two wells are separated by an energy which is greater than the energies of optical phonons in the well and barrier materials. Respective voltages are applied to the wells which are less than the optical phonon emission threshold in the well and barrier materials to generate respective currents therein. Increasing the voltage to the first well to a level in excess of such optical phonon emission threshold causes optical phonons to be emitted from the first well to create a standing interface mode from the first well through the barrier to the second well, thereby providing a scattering mechanism for electrons in the second well and reducing the current thereof.