Resonant tunneling and quantum integrated circuits

Abstract

Devices fabricated at the scaling limits of conventional technology must either contend with quantum-mechanical tunneling as a parasitic effect or incorporate tunneling into the device function. Taking the latter approach, the phenomenon of resonant tunneling between epitaxially-grown double-barrier heterostructures shows significant promise for extending integrated circuit performance both before and beyond the post-shrink era. Recent progress in this technology is reviewed.