Abstract: A protection circuit for a solid state instrument includes a plurality of fuses and a switching device arranged in parallel with the input capacitance of the solid state instrument, The fuses protect the instrument from high voltage surges, and the switching device protects the instrument from lower voltage surges. The fuses and the switching device are solid state devices and thus can be fabricated along with the solid state instrument.

Abstract: A transistor has a superlattice in the channel region. The superlattice has alternate interleaved layers of undoped wide and narrow bandgap materials with the layers extending in a direction parallel to the channel region. Preferably a narrow band gap layer is adjacent a gate insulator to provide maximum increase in mobility.

Abstract: A back-to-back diode includes a substrate having five superimposed layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thereon. The first and fifth layers are of one conductivity type, the second and fourth layers are intrinsic, and the third layer is of the opposite conductivity type. The layers are all of the substantially the same thickness. A conductive layer contact is provided between the substrate and the first layer and a conductive layer contact is provided on the fifth layer. The intrinsic layers may include carbon alloyed with the hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for determining the diffusion length of minority carriers in semiconductor material, particularly amorphous silicon which has a significantly small minority carrier diffusion length using the constant-magnitude surface-photovoltage (SPV) method. An unmodulated illumination provides the light excitation on the surface of the material to generate the SPV. A manually controlled or automatic servo system maintains a constant predetermined value of the SPV. A vibrating Kelvin method-type probe electrode couples the SPV to a measurement system. The operating optical wavelength of an adjustable monochromator to compensate for the wavelength dependent sensitivity of a photodetector is selected to measure the illumination intensity (photon flux) on the silicon. Measurements of the relative photon flux for a plurality of wavelengths are plotted against the reciprocal of the optical absorption coefficient of the material.

Abstract: A substrate, such as a ceramic body, carries a layer of glaze consisting essentially of (a) an inorganic oxide glass matrix that is essentially free from ions which migrate in a high-electric field, (b) about 1 .times. 10.sup.19 to 50 .times. 10.sup.19 antimony cations distributed in each cubic centimeter of the glass matrix, and (c) about 4 to 30 weight percent with respect to the weight of said glaze of discrete tin-oxide particles in the antimony-containing glass matrix. The method comprises dissolving antimony, as a compound thereof, in a glass, mixing together particles of said glass and tin-oxide particles, coating the mixture on a substrate, heating the coated substrate to melt the glass particles while retaining tin oxide in discrete particulate form, and then solidifying the molten coating.

Abstract: A layer of near stoichiometric magnesium oxide on a conducting substrate forms a dynode. The dynode is formed by preparing a layer of oxidized magnesium on a conducting substrate, heating the oxidized magnesium layer in a vacuum between about 400.degree. and about 500.degree. C., and treating the layer to render it more nearly stoichiometric. One method of treating the layer is to expose it to oxygen at about room temperature for about ten to twenty minutes at a pressure between about 10.sup.-6 to 10.sup.-5 torr. Another method of treating the layer is to impinge a noble gas, such as argon, at a pressure suitable for sputter etching, such as between 10.sup.-6 and 10.sup.-3 torr, to remove between ten and twenty atomic layers from the surface of the layer. The layer is then exposed to oxygen at room temperature for about ten to twenty minutes at a pressure between about 10.sup.-6 and 10.sup.-5 torr.