US Patent 7709923 - Metal-base nanowire transistor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7709923.html

Several decades ago metal-base transistors were proposes as a replacement for the purely semiconductor bipolar transistors. This patent from NXP Semiconductor attempts to introduce a nanowire version of the metal base transistor to achieve higher speed switching. Claim 1 reads:

1. Transistor comprising

a first, a second electrode, and base electrode to control current flow between the first and second electrode,

wherein the first electrode is made from a semiconducting material,

wherein the base electrode is a metal layer deposited on top of the semiconducting material forming the first electrode,

characterized in that the second electrode is formed by a semiconducting nanowire being in electrical contact with the base electrode.