Gunn diode

Introduction
• In 1963 J.B.Gunn discovered the transferred electron mechanism,
since then we calling it as Gunn effect.
• The device that uses the Gunn effect known as Gunn diode or
transferred electron device

• Gunn effect is only found in N-type semiconductor materials, so that

it must be associated with electrons rather than with holes

• Gunn diode is used in local oscillators upto 100 GHz

• Advantage of Gunn diode is, it produces low noise with medium
power characteristics
 Gunn effect

• In the transferred electron mechanism the conduction electrons of

some semi conductor are shifted from a state of high mobility to a
state of low mobility by the influence of a strong electric field. This
process is known as Gunn effect.
• During this process negative conductivity occurs at some point of
critical voltage. This negative conductance effect was initially
proposed by Ridley, Watkin and Hilsum before Gunn demonstrated
the effect in GaAs.
• This negative conductivity effect depends only on bulk properties of
the semiconductor. Therefore it is also called bulk negative
differential conductivity effect.
Energy band diagram of GaAs
 Operation of Gunn diode
• On application of electric field or voltage across an N-type GaAs slice,
electrons travel from cathode to anode
• The greater the potential across the slice, the higher is the velocity of
electrons and therefore greater the current
 Operation of Gunn diode

• Once the electrons have gained enough energy i.e. at the threshold
level, they transferred to higher energy band that is to satellite
valley from central valley

• In the satellite valley electrons become less mobile and so get

slowed down. Now there is a fall in current and thus negative
resistance is exhibited
• As the voltage rises further, the gradient become sufficient to remove
electrons from the satellite valley so that current again starts rising
with voltage
 Gunn domain formation
• Domain is a bunch of electrons. Negative resistance effect in the
Gunn diode is mainly because of formation of domains
• In a heavily doped N-type GaAs slice, it is realistic to assume that
the density of doping material may not be uniform throughout the
GaAs sample
 Gunn domain formation
• Hence there is a possibility that the impurity concentration is less
somewhere near the cathode terminal of GaAs sample
• The region where the impurity concentration is less becomes less
conductive than other regions of the sample. So the resistance of
this region is high. As a result the voltage drop across this region is
high compared with other regions
 Gunn domain formation

• If we start rising D.C. voltage across the GaAs sample, current start
rising
• At the same time voltage drop across the less conductive region
increases and also the electric filed.
• Further increase in the DC voltage causes a high voltage drop across
this region, which means a high electric field is set up inside the
region
• With this electric field electrons in the conduction band have enough
energy to jump into the higher energy levels i.e. to the satellite
valley.