Gunn effect

American  

[guhn] / gʌn /

noun

Physics, Electronics.

1. the onset of microwave oscillations in a thin slice of a semiconductor when a voltage exceeding a given value is applied across the slice.

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Gunn effect British  

/ ɡʌn /

noun

1. a phenomenon observed in some semiconductors in which a steady electric field of magnitude greater than a threshold value generates electrical oscillations with microwave frequencies

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Etymology

Origin of Gunn effect

Named after J. B. Gunn (1928–2006), British physicist, who discovered the effect in 1963