N. Holonyak's research while affiliated with General Electric and other places

The contribution of solid-state electronic devices to microsystems electronics is important, but there is considerable confusion in this field at the present time. By dividing the field of solidstate devices into four categories into which may be placed all device approaches to microsystems electronics (and, incidentally, solid-state components in general) we may more easily assess the merit of each new contribution by comparison with existing components. These four categories are basic, complex, integrated, and array. The construction details and operating principles, as well as the electrical characteristics, of a new device must be specified in order for it to be properly categorized. Some new examples of complex and integrated devices are presented to emphasize their differences.

By making use of an emitter region shorted by a metallic contact to an adjacent base region, a new form of p‐n‐p‐n switch is obtained. Several new structures are described, including a symmetrical (or ac) switch. Typical experimental results on switches which breakdown in the range from 25 to 40 v are presented.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.3.167

There is a considerable body of literature on the theoretical and experimental characteristics of 2- and 3-terminal p-n-p-n negative resistance switches.1¿4 This paper describes a 2-impurity simultaneous-diffusion process for producing structures in silicon which are suitable for 2- or 3-terminal signal and power p-n-p-n switches (¿controlled rectifiers¿); the properties of the devices produced by this process are discussed in the following.