Method for increasing of tunneling through a potential barrier

Abstract

A method for promoting the passage of elementary particles at or through a potential barrier comprising providing a potential barrier having a geometrical shape for causing de Broglie interference between said elementary particles is disclosed. In another embodiment, the invention provides an elementary particle-emitting surface having a series of indents. The depth of the indents is chosen so that the probability wave of the elementary particle reflected from the bottom of the indent interferes destructively with the probability wave of the elementary particle reflected from the surface. This results in the increase of tunneling through the potential barrier. When the elementary particle is an electron, then electrons tunnel through the potential barrier, thereby leading to a reduction in the effective work function of the surface. In further embodiments, the invention provides vacuum diode devices, including a vacuum diode heat pump, a thermionic converter and a photoelectric converter, in which either or both of the electrodes in these devices utilize said elementary particle-emitting surface. In yet further embodiments, the invention provides devices in which the separation of the surfaces in such devices is controlled by piezo-electric positioning elements. A further embodiment provides a method for making an elementary particle-emitting surface having a series of indents.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.