A Switchable One-Compound Diode.

A diode requires the combination of p- and n-type semiconductors or at least the defined formation of such areas within a given compound. This is a prerequisite for any IT application, energy conversion technology, and electronic semiconductor devices. Since the discovery of the pnp-switchable compound Ag Te Br in 2009, it is in principle possible to fabricate a diode from a single material without adjusting the semiconduction type by a defined doping level.