Ultrafast Electron Tunneling Devices-From Electric-Field Driven to Optical-Field Driven

The search for ever higher frequency information processing has become an area of intense research activity within the micro, nano, and optoelectronics communities. Compared to conventional semiconductor-based diffusive transport electron devices, electron tunneling devices provide significantly faster response times due to near-instantaneous tunneling that occurs at sub-femtosecond timescales. As a result, the enhanced performance of electron tunneling devices is demonstrated, time and again, to reimagine a wide variety of traditional electronic devices with a variety of new lightwave electronics emerging, each capable of reducing the electron transport channel transit time down to attosecond timescales. In response to unprecedented rapid progress within this field, here the current state-of-the-art in electron tunneling devices is reviewed, current challenges and opportunities are highlighted, and possible future research directions are identified.

Automated summary

The search for higher frequency information processing has led to intense research in micro, nano, and optoelectronics, with electron tunneling devices offering significantly faster response times compared to conventional semiconductor devices. This enhanced performance is driving the reimagination of traditional electronic devices and the emergence of new lightwave electronics. The current state-of-the-art, challenges, and opportunities in electron tunneling devices are reviewed, alongside potential future research directions in this rapidly advancing field.