Gunn effect

[guhn]

noun Physics, Electronics.

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

Origin of Gunn effect

named after J. B. Gunn (born 1928), British physicist, who discovered the effect in 1963

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for gunn effect

Gunn effect

noun

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

Word Origin for Gunn effect

C20: named after John Battiscombe Gunn (1928–2008), British physicist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012