MAGNETICALLY SENSITIVE TRANSISTORS UTILIZING LORENTZ FIELD POTENTIAL MODULATION OF CARRIER INJECTION

摘要

MAGNETICALLY SENSITIVE TRANSISTORS UTILIZINGLORENTZ FIELD POTENTIAL MODULATION OFCARRIER INJECTIONAbstractMagnetically sensitive transistors utilizing anewly discovered transduction mechanism are described.The transduction mechanism is Lorentz field potentialmodulation of carrier injection at the emitter-basejunction. Either avalanching or non-avalanchingcollectors are utilized in a structure having asingle emitter and at least one but preferably twocollectors. The emitter-base junction is forwardbiased to inject carriers and the collector-basejunctions are reverse biased to collect carriers.Carrier injection is modulated by a Lorentz field.The Lorentz field is produced across the injectingsurface of the emitter by interaction between themoving injected carriers by intersection with amagnetic field according to the Lorentz principle.The Lorentz field biases a portion of the emissivesurface to inject more heavily and biases the re-maining portion to inject less heavily. The carriersstreaming toward the separate collectors are thusmore heavily concentrated for one collector than theother. For maximum sensitivity, it is important toconfigure the positions and dimensions of the emitterand collector or collectors such that the maximumLorentz potential, and hence the maximum biasingmodulation, is applied to the predominant injectionarea of the emitter. Since the maximum Lorentzpotential can be developed across the longestphysical dimension of the emitter, the preferredarrangement of emitter and collector is with thecollector located to one side or the other (orboth sides where two collectors are employed) ofan imaginary plane bisecting the maximum Lorentzcontour. The Lorentz potential can be developedon one geometrical axis and electrically coupledto a primary injection area elsewhere or on anotheraxis for maximum effect.