Metal/insulator heterostructure quantum effect device

Metal-insulator (M-I) superlattice is very attractive for ultra-fine, multifunctional and ultrahigh-speed quantum-effect electron devices because of the high carrier density of metal, low dielectric constant of insulator, and remarkable quantum-effect due to very large conduction-band discontinuity (>10 eV) at an M-I heterointerface. And moreover, optical devices using the same material system (metal-insulator and semiconductor heterostructure) is considered to be possible utilizing the optical transition between quantized energy levels in metal or semiconductor quantum wells or boxes embedded in insulator. In order to expand our study to 3-dimensional quantum confinement effect devices using CaF₂-CoSi₂-Si(111) material system, we have investigated a formation technique of nanometer grains of Si and CoSi ₂ embedded in CaF₂. In a metal or semiconductor quantum box embedded in insulator barriers a strong 3-dimensional quantum confinement effect can be expected