Abstract
Preliminary results of a study are reported here investigating mesoscopic tunnel junctions irradiated with coherent low-intensity (-50 to -10 dB) pulsed microwave RF fields at moderately low (LN2) temperatures. Quantum tunneling of electrons was observed through fabricated mesoscale gap junctions as a result of coherent irradiating fields at low temperatures around 77 - 100 K. The tunneling current was seen as a result of applied microwave fields across the junctions, distinguishable from shot noise and resistance effects. The form of tunneling behavior does not lead to any conductance quantization effects which could manifest the junction as a Quantum Point Contact (QPC), hence it is surmised that the phenomenon is purely low intensity RF field-induced tunneling of electrons across the mesoscale junctions at low temperatures.
Highlights
Mesoscopic physics [1], the science of the intermediate scale between the macroscopic and nanoscale systems, is one of the recent interdisciplinary sciences, primarily developed during last three to four decades
The form of tunneling behavior does not lead to any conductance quantization effects which could manifest the junction as a Quantum Point Contact (QPC), it is surmised that the phenomenon is purely low intensity radio frequency (RF) field-induced tunneling of electrons across the mesoscale junctions at low temperatures
The currents we measured were on the order of about 10 - 100 pA, which were amplified to an order of milli-Volts by the Trans-Impedance Amplifier (TIA) in our amplification system
Summary
Mesoscopic physics [1], the science of the intermediate scale between the macroscopic and nanoscale systems, is one of the recent interdisciplinary sciences, primarily developed during last three to four decades. As the dimensions of a system tend to go down to the mesoscale, the small region at the interface of the macroscopic and microscopic ( nanometer) scales, interesting interference and tunneling phenomena start to emerge in systems whose dimensions are on the orders of 10−7 m to 10−10 m. One of the important and useful applications of the area is a class of junctions called Quantum Point Contacts (QPCs) [7], where small meso- to nano-scale junctions exhibit quantized values of conductance and other important effects, owing to mesoscopic electron transport [5]. QPCs are important structures which exhibit novel phenomena by the virtue of mesoscopic scale junction properties and Two-Dimensional Electron Gas (2DEG) formed in the peculiar confined geometry of the junction and flowing of tunneling electric current through the insulated parts of the region on application of specific gate potentials
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