Testing multilayer semiconductor electron wave devices using ballistic electron emission microscopy

Abstract

Ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) has recently been developed to study the electrical properties of buried interfaces where ballistic electrons are injected into a sample using a scanning tunneling microscope. In this paper, a method is proposed that uses the BEEM technique to observe electron wave optical properties of ballistic transport in semiconductors. This method provides a three-terminal configuration for characterizing electron wave devices that overcomes many of the problems encountered in traditional two- and three-terminal techniques. Specifically, the method provides a highly collimated beam of ballistic carriers with a precisely controlled energy distribution. These carriers probe the quantum transmittance of a voltage- tunable electron wave interference device with minimal impurity scattering. A general procedure is presented for analyzing this experimental configuration based on a combination of the models used to describe BEEM and ballistic electron transport in semiconductors.