Resonant-tunneling electronic transportors

Details Resonant-tunneling electronic transportors Resonant-tunneling electronic transportors

1999-01-11

2003-01-28

Meier, Stephen D. (Department: 2822)

Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode

Thin active physical layer which is

Heterojunction

C257S025000, C257S024000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06512242

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to resonant-tunneling electronic transporters using lateral coupling between guided and localized states.
A striking analogy exists between electromagnetic waveguiding in dielectric materials and electronic waveguiding in semiconductor nanostructures. While electromagnetic (EM) waves can travel inside a dielectric waveguide such as an optical fiber, electrons (or electronic wavefunctions) can propagate inside an electronic waveguide such as a quantum wire. For reference, see Eugstar et al., “Tunneling spectroscopy of an electron waveguide”, Physical Review Letters, vol. 67, pp. 3586-89 (1991). It has been demonstrated recently that EM waves can selectively be transferred from one dielectric waveguide to another by using a resonant coupling element between the two waveguides. Similar effects can be achieved in the electronic device as well.
Progress in nanofabrication technology has allowed electronic devices to be fabricated with a size on the order of 10 nanometers. For reference, see S. Datta, Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 1995). As the size of the device becomes smaller, the quantum mechanical nature of electrons becomes important. In other words, in these devices, electrons behave as a wave, rather than as a classical particle.
Due to the wave nature of the electrons, devices such as electronic waveguides, and electronic resonators, have been constructed and demonstrated. Using these waveguides and resonators, a variety of devices have been fabricated and tested. One example is a waveguide coupler, which directly side-couples two waveguides together to transfer electrons from one waveguide to the other. See, Eugster, et al, “One-dimensional to one-dimensional tunneling between electron waveguides”, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 64, p. 3157 (1994). Another example is to use the electronic resonator as a narrow-band transmission filter, which selectively transmit electrons through the resonator at the resonant energy, while suppressing the transmission of electrons at other energies. See, Goldhaber-Gordon et al., “Kondo effect in a single-electron transistor”, Nature, vol. 391, pp. 156-159 (1998).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to show that electrons can be transferred between electronic waveguides or between different ports of the same waveguide via a resonant coupling element. The invention provides an electronic device which allows for electrons of different energies to be transported to different ports. The invention relies on the use of a resonant coupling element, such as an arrangement of quantum dots, positioned between two electronic waveguides. Two such types of electronic transport devices (or transporters) are presented. The first type has two ports, while the second type has four ports.
Accordingly, the invention provides an electronic transportor that allows for the resonant tunneling of electrons between guided states, such as those found in a quantum wire or a line defect in a solid, and localized states, such as those found in a quantum dot or a point defect in a solid, using lateral coupling. In some embodiments, the transporter allows electrons of different energies to be transported to different ports of associated waveguides. In other embodiments, the transporter allows electrons of different energies to be transported at different phases.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5350931 (1994-09-01), Harvey et al.
patent: H1570 (1996-08-01), Lux et al.
patent: 5640022 (1997-06-01), Inai
patent: 5804475 (1998-09-01), Meyer
patent: 6103583 (2000-08-01), Morimoto et al.
patent: 6139483 (2000-10-01), Seabaugh et al.

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