Patent ID: 6727529
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: G11C,H01L

Abstract:
A semiconductor device having a thyristor device with NDR characteristics, the device comprising:at least two contiguous regions of the thyristor device, said at least two contiguous regions being of opposite polarity; and control means, located adjacent to and facing said at least one of the regions of the thyristor device, for capacitively coupling at least part of a voltage pulse to said at least one of the regions of the thyristor device, the thyristor device including the control means and said at least two contiguous regions, with said at least two contiguous regions, the control means for preponderantly controlling switching of the thyristor device from a current-passing mode to a current-blocking mode in response to the control means coupling at least one edge of a first voltage pulse to said at least one of the regions, and from a current-blocking mode to a current-passing mode in response to the control means coupling at least one edge of a second voltage pulse to said at least one of the regions, each of the first and second voltage pulses having a common polarity.