Diluted-Magnetic Semiconductor (DMS) Tunneling Devices for the Terahertz Regime

The objective of this proposed program is the design, development and demonstration of novel semiconductor quantum barrier/well devices that utilize spin-control mechanisms available in diluted magnetic materials (DMS) for achieving higher-level functionality (e.g., transistor action) at very high switching speeds and frequencies. The potential simplicity of DMS devices compared to standard three terminal transistors with gate controlled I-V characteristics, is that no more than two terminals are required, as the magnetic field functions as a controlling third contact. Indeed, properly designed, the magnetic field can transform a passive device into an active device, tune the the output of a resonant tunneling device (RTD) fabricated with DMS layers and modify the logic state of a device. The proposed technology development has the potential to lead to a completely new type of multi-terminal device with extremely high-speed/frequency capability. The proposed technology can be expected to contribute strongly towards defining new capabilities for sensors, more compact and powerful sources for imaging and radar applications, significantly extended speed/frequency capability for data processing, computation and communications.