Abstract, intro, properties, operation, uses, market value, conclusion

Symbol of tunnel diode

The tunnel diode was invented in August 1957 by Leo Esaki.

These diodes have a heavily doped pn junction that is approximately 10 nm wide. This results
in a broken band gap, where conduction band electron states on the n-side are more or less
aligned with valence band hole states on the p-side.

Tunnel diodes were first manufactured by Sony in 1957 followed by General Electric and other
companies from about 1960, and are still made in low volume today.

Tunnel diodes are usually made from germanium, but can also be made from gallium arsenide
and silicon materials.

They are used in frequency converters and detectors. They have negative differential resistance
in part of their operating range, and therefore are also used as oscillators, amplifiers, and in
switching circuits using hysteresis.
In 1977, the Intelsat V satellite receiver used a microstrip tunnel diode amplifier (TDA) front-
end in the 14 to 15.5 GHz frequency band. Such amplifiers were considered state-of-the-art, with
better performance at high frequencies than any transistor-based front end.

The highest frequency room-temperature solid-state oscillators are based on the resonant-
tunneling diode (RTD).

There is another type of tunnel diode called a metalinsulatormetal (MIM) diode, but its present
application appears to be limited to research environments due to inherent sensitivities. There is
also a metalinsulatorinsulatormetal MIIM diode which has an additional insulator layer. The
additional layer allows "step tunneling" for precise diode control.

Tunnel Diode Operation

Figure 1
Forward bias operation
Under normal forward bias operation, as voltage begins to increase, electrons at first tunnel
through the very narrow pn junction barrier and fill electron states in the conduction band on
the n-side which become aligned with empty valence band hole states on the p-side of the p-n
junction. As voltage increases further, these states become increasingly misaligned and the
current drops. This is called negative resistance because current decreases with increasing
voltage. As voltage increases yet further, the diode begins to operate as a normal diode, where
electrons travel by conduction across the pn junction, and no longer by tunneling through the p
n junction barrier. The most important operating region for a tunnel diode is the negative
resistance region. Its graph is different from normal p-n junction diode.

Reverse bias operation

When used in the reverse direction, tunnel diodes are called back diodes (or backward diodes)
and can act as fast rectifiers with zero offset voltage and extreme linearity for power signals
(they have an accurate square law characteristic in the reverse direction). Under reverse bias,
filled states on the p-side become increasingly aligned with empty states on the n-side and
electrons now tunnel through the pn junction barrier in reverse direction.

Properties
Resistant to nuclear radiation
Tunnel diodes are resistant to the effects of magnetic fields, high temperature and radioactivity.
Thats why these can be used in modern military equipment. These are used in nuclear magnetic
resource machine also. But the most important field of its use satellite communication
equipments.

Longevity
Tunnel diodes are notable for their longevity, with devices made in the 1960s still functioning.
Writing in Nature, Esaki and coauthors state that semiconductor devices in general are extremely
stable, and suggest that their shelf life should be "infinite" if kept at room temperature. They go
on to report that a small-scale test of 50-year-old devices revealed a "gratifying confirmation of
the diode's longevity". As noticed on some samples of Esaki diodes, the gold plated iron pins can
in fact corrode and short out to the case. This can usually be diagnosed, and the diode inside
normally still works.
However, these components are susceptible to damage by overheating, and thus special care is
needed when soldering them.

Applications

Tunnel diode is a type of diode which is capable of very fast and in microwave frequency range.
It was the quantum mechanical effect which is known as tunneling. It is ideal for fast oscillators
and receivers for its negative slope characteristics. But it cannot be used in large integrated
circuits thats why its an applications are limited.

When the voltage is first applied current stars flowing through it. The current increases with the
increase of voltage. Once the voltage rises high enough suddenly the current again starts
increasing and tunnel diode stars behaving like a normal diode. Because of this unusual behavior,
it can be used in number of special applications started below.

Oscillator circuits
Tunnel diodes can be used as high frequency oscillators as the transition between the high
electrical conductivity is very rapid. They can be used to create oscillation as high as 5Gz. Even
they are capable of creativity oscillation up to 100 GHz in a appropriate digital circuits.

Microwave circuits
Normal diode transistors do not perform well in microwave operation. So, for microwave
generators and amplifiers tunnel diode are. In microwave waves and satellite communication
equipments they were used widely, but now a days their uses is decreasing rapidly as transistor
for working in wave frequency area available in market.

Tunnel Diode Oscillator

 Figure 2

Tunnel diode can make a very stable oscillator circuit when they are coupled to a tuned circuit or
cavity, biased at the centre point of negative resistance region.

Tunnel diode oscillators which are meant to be operated at microwave frequencies, generally
used some form of transmission lines as tunnel circuit. These oscillators are useful in application
that requires a few millwatts of power for example, local oscillators for microwave super
electrodyne receiver.