Abstract

An important aspect of obtaining the fastest electronic devices is minimizing the transit time of charge carriers from input to output. The shortest times can be achieved by having the carriers move at the highest velocity allowed by the band structure of the solid crystal. In present high speed devices collisions redirect and slow down the moving carriers. To avoid this electron scattering, transit regions have to be short enough to make collisions less probable. Such "ballistic transport" of fast carriers (hot carriers) moving at their maximum possible velocity, should in principle allow the fastest device operation.

© 1987 Optical Society of America