Tunnel diode switching circuit

Claim 1

A HIGH SPEED SWITCHING CIRCUIT COMPRISING A COMPOSITE DEVICE INCLUDING A CONDUCTIVE PATH HAVING A TUNNEL DIODE AND HAVING A PAIR OF END TERMINALS, WHEREIN THE MINIMUM ABSOLUTE VALUE OF NEGATIVE RESISTANCE BETWEEN THE TERMINALS EXCEEDS THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF THE POSITIVE RESISTANCE BETWEEN THE TERMINALS, A RESISTOR HAVING A FIRST TERMINAL CONNECTED TO ONE TERMINAL OF THE PATH AND HAVING A SECOND TERMINAL, A SOURCE OF OPERATING POTENTIAL HAVING ONE TERMINAL CONNECTED TO THE OTHER TIEMINAL OF THE PATH AND HAVING ANOTHER TERMINAL CONNECTED TO THE SECOND TERMINAL OF THERESISTOR FORWARD BIASING THE DIODE TO PERMIT STABLE OPERATION AT LEAST IN ITS HIGH VOLTAGE REGION, AND A TRANSISTOR HAVING BASE AND EMITTER ELECTRODES AND COLLECTOR ELECTRODE CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO THE ONE TERMINAL OF THE PATH TO PROVIDE A FAMILY OF TUNNEL DIODE TYPE CHARACTERISTIC CURVES AT THE COLLECTOR ELECTRODE WHICH SHIFT IN THE INCREASING AND DECREASING CURRENT DIRECTION AS A FUNCTION OF INCREASING AND DECREASING CURRENT IN THE BASE ELECTRODE, WHICH FAMILY OF CURVES DEFINES HIGH AND LOW VOLTAGE, POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGIONS OF COMPOSITE DEVICE OPERATION SEPARATED BY A NEGATIVE RESISTANC REGION, SAID RESISTOR AND SOURCE DEFINING A FIXED LOAD LINE WHICH INTERSECTS, AT ONE POINT ONLY, THE CHARACTERISTIC CURVE DEFINED BY COMPOSITE DEVICE WHEN THE TRANSISTOR IS IN ITS NONCONDUCTIVE STATE; AND MEANS FOR INCREASING AND DECREASING THE BASE CURRENT IN THE TRANSISTOR TO PREDETERMINED LEVELS; SAID TRANSISTOR RESPONSIVE TO SAID MEANS FOR OPERATING THE COMPOSITE DEVICE IN ITS LOW AND HIGH VOLTAGE REGIONS WHEN THE BASE CURRENT IS INCREASED AND DECREASED RESPECTIVELY.