Tunnel Diode Digital Circuitry

This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, the basic tunnel diode logic circuits are discussed. These include the monostable and the bistable analog-threshold gates and the ``Goto-pair,´´ which uses the principle of majority decision. These circuits are studied to determine the requirement on tunnel diodes and other component tolerances. Relations between the ``fan-in´´ and the ``fan-out´´ numbers and the component tolerances are derived. The results indicate that the ``Goto-pair´´ is somewhat superior to the analog-threshold gates with respect to circuit reliability. In the second part, a tunnel diode flip-flop stage which has advantages with respect to speed, ease, of operation and component tolerances is described. Combination of these flip-flops in counter and shift-register configurations have been successfully operated. Several potential advantages over conventional transistor circuits are discussed.