[sourcery]

FYI

[expatpat]

Don't get too excited -- the work-horse of microelectronics is the transisor, not the diode.

[GeronL]

OK diode sounds old fashioned, like vaccuum tubes

They should call it something like Quantam Laser Enabling Embed

[QQQQQ]

"Berger said that the diode's ability to operate in low-power conditions makes it ideal for use in power-hungry devices that generate radio-frequency signals, such as cordless home telephones and cell phones. With little power input, the diode could generate a strong signal.

One other application that Berger finds particularly interesting involves medical devices. The diode could support a low-power data link that would let doctors perform diagnostics on pacemakers and other implants by remote, without wires protruding through a patient's skin that could cause infections."

Looks like it has a lot of significant real life applications.

[Eala]

Thanks for posting this! A number of years ago I came up with an application that would have been well served by the Esaki diode (utilizing its negative-resistance and high-frequency characteristics), but to my dismay a search for such came up with nothing. It wouldn't have been very lucrative anyway...

(Do they still make anything out of germanium?)