# US 5,350,931 A · Double barrier resonant propagation filter

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- Number: US 5,350,931 A
- Document ID: US5350931A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/064,774
- Filed: 1993-05-19
- Granted: 1994-09-27
- Earliest claimed: 1991-07-29
- Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
- Inventors: James F. Harvey; Robert A. Lux
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5350931A

## CPC

- H10D 62/813: {Quantum wire structures}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- H10D 8/755: {Resonant tunneling diodes [RTD]}
- H10D 30/00: Field-effect transistors [FET] (insulated-gate bipolar transistors H10D12/00)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

One or more double barrier resonant tunneling filters are provided for electron propagation mode control in nanostructure quantum wire electron waveguides and in quantum interference devices in the waveguide.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A resonant propagation filter for applications in quantum wire waveguide comprising:
first and second regions of a first semiconductor material having a first conduction band edge energy; and
a third region of a second semiconductor material with a second conduction band edge energy which is lower than that of said first and second regions, the third region being disposed between said first and second regions;
a first quantum wire waveguide having a conduction band edge energy similar to the third region;
wherein the first, second and third regions form a resonant tunneling structure and wherein said resonant tunneling structure is disposed within said electron waveguide such that the lateral dimensions of the resonant tunneling structure are constrained thereby permitting only a predetermined range of electron momenta in a direction of electron propagation and only discrete values of momentum in the lateral directions;
said filter permitting predetermined propagating modes to pass through said waveguide.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The filter of claim 1 wherein said first and second regions define first and second barrier regions of a quantum well due to the difference in the conduction band edge energies of said regions to the conduction band edge energies of the third region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The filter of claim 1 wherein a resonant energy level, V.sub.n, of said filter is adjusted by adjusting the thickness of said third region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The filter of claim 1 wherein said waveguide is GaAs, said first and second regions are Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As and said third region is selected from the group consisting of GaAs or InGaAs.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The filter of claim 1 which further includes at least a second quantum wire waveguide which intersects and couples to an intermediate portion of said first quantum wire; and at least a second barrier resonant tunneling filter disposed in series within the length of said second waveguide and having a structure similar to that of the first-mentioned filter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The filter of claim 4 which further includes a second quantum wire waveguide which intersects and couples to an intermediate portion of said first quantum wire; and a second barrier resonant tunneling filter disposed in series within the length of said second waveguide and having a structure similar to that of the first-mentioned filter.