35 - Ice-based devices

Summary

Introduction

To a large extent the electrical properties of ice are similar to those of semiconductors: exponential increase in conductivity with increasing temperature, analogy of positive and negative carriers with electrons and holes, change of conduction upon doping. This similarity makes it possible to consider, in the case of ice, models for numerous devices that have been fabricated using semiconductors. However, it can hardly be expected that ice-based devices will have any advantage (qualitative, technological) against semiconductor analogues. Therefore, consideration of such icebased devices is of no practical significance.

On the other hand, the electrical properties of ice, principally due to the presence of a large number of carriers and the nature of the carriers, may give rise to memory effects which are much more complicated compared with the electrical properties of ordinary semiconductors. Therefore, using ice, one can realize devices which either have no analogues amongst semiconductor devices or which are advantageous compared with the latter. Some such devices are described next.

Before giving detailed descriptions, we shall emphasize two important features. Firstly, we are dealing here with models rather than with operational devices. Secondly, in selecting concrete models, we are basing our consideration on the most interesting physical properties of ice, treated in original research papers.