Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Fermi Level Dynamics01:12

Fermi Level Dynamics

225
The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
225
Superconductor01:24

Superconductor

1.1K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.1K
MOSFET: Enhancement Mode01:22

MOSFET: Enhancement Mode

298
Enhancement-mode MOSFETs are pivotal components in electronics, distinguished by their capacity to act as highly efficient switches. They are part of the larger family of metal-oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs). They are available in two types: p-channel and n-channel, each tailored to specific polarity operations.
In their basic form, enhancement-mode MOSFETs are typically non-conductive when the gate-source voltage (Vgs) is zero. This default 'off' state means no...
298
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:27

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

215
Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
215
Fermi Level01:18

Fermi Level

517
The Fermi-Dirac function is represented by an S-shaped curve indicating the probability of an energy state being occupied by an electron at a given temperature. The Fermi level is the energy level at which there is a fifty percent chance of finding an electron, and it is positioned between the lower-energy valence band and the higher-energy conduction band.
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
517
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:24

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

301
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
301

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Symmetry-Differentiated Oxygen-Vacancy Motifs Regulate Au-CeO<i><sub>x</sub></i> Interfaces for Selective Photocatalytic Ethane Production from CO<sub>2</sub>.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Screen-Printed Biochar-Derived Graphene Solid-Contact Ion-Selective Electrodes for Nutrient Monitoring in Hydroponic Solutions.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026
Same author

Cerebellum-inspired memtransistors enable emergent differentiation for hardware-efficient novelty detection.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Gate-Tunable Magnetoresistance in Antiferromagnetic van der Waals FePS<sub>3</sub> Transistors.

Nano letters·2026
Same author

The Role of Defect Geometry in Localized Emission from Monolayer Tungsten Dichalcogenides.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Split-Gate Memtransistors for Energy-Efficient Adaptive Reinforcement Learning.

ACS nano·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
14:58

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

Published on: June 3, 2015

14.5K

Sub-1K Cold-Electron Quantum Well Switching at Room Temperature.

Anthony Martinez1, Pushkar K Gothe1, Yi-De Liou1

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.

Nano Letters
|October 28, 2024
PubMed
Summary

We demonstrate a quantum well (QW) switch controlling electron transport. Aligning QW states enables current flow, offering a pathway to highly energy-efficient computing with sub-1K cold-electron switching.

Keywords:
Fermi−Dirac thermal smearingcold-electron transportelectron energy filteringelectron tunnelingenergy-efficient computingtransverse momentum conservation

More Related Videos

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

9.5K
Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

11.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
14:58

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

Published on: June 3, 2015

14.5K
Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

9.5K
Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

11.4K

Area of Science:

  • Quantum electronics
  • Solid-state physics
  • Materials science

Background:

  • Electron transport is crucial for electronic devices.
  • Quantum wells (QWs) offer tunable electronic properties.
  • Controlling electron flow at low temperatures is key for energy efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate electron transport across heterogeneous quantum wells.
  • To demonstrate a novel quantum well switch for electron transport control.
  • To explore the potential for energy-efficient computing.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a quantum well switch device with specific material layers (Cr, Cr2O3, SnOx, SiO2, Si).
  • Utilizing heterogeneous quantum wells with differing effective electron masses (m*QW1 > m*QW2).
  • Performing current-voltage (I-V) measurements at room temperature.

Main Results:

  • Observed abrupt current onsets in the quantum well switch.
  • Demonstrated precise control of electron transport based on relative quantum well state alignment.
  • Achieved a sharp current transition within 0.25 mV, equivalent to 0.8 K effective electron temperature.

Conclusions:

  • The quantum well switch effectively controls electron transport.
  • Sub-1K cold-electron switching at room temperature is achievable.
  • This technology shows significant promise for developing highly energy-efficient transistors and computing systems.