Esaki Diode in Undoped Silicon Film

An Esaki diode with a peak-to-valley-current ratio (PVCR) of 3.59 is demonstrated at 77 K in ultrathin undoped fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) film. For the first time, the high doping required for band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) is replaced with electrostatic doping in a virtual diode configuration. By manipulating the front- and back-gate bias, a virtual P-N junction with adjustable doping can be emulated. The negative differential resistance (NDR) is captured at a low temperature for high concentrations of free electrons and holes. The electrostatic Esaki diode is fully compatible with current FD-SOI CMOS technology and does not require elaborate doping tailoring. The difference between Esaki diodes with virtual or physical doping is outlined. The simulations show that the BTBT is no longer 1D, as it can occur diagonally through the body due to the asymmetric position of front- and back-gates. The impact of gates biasing and the optimization trends are discussed.