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      Fabry - Perot interference in a nanotube electron waveguide.

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          Abstract

          The behaviour of traditional electronic devices can be understood in terms of the classical diffusive motion of electrons. As the size of a device becomes comparable to the electron coherence length, however, quantum interference between electron waves becomes increasingly important, leading to dramatic changes in device properties. This classical-to-quantum transition in device behaviour suggests the possibility for nanometer-sized electronic elements that make use of quantum coherence. Molecular electronic devices are promising candidates for realizing such device elements because the electronic motion in molecules is inherently quantum mechanical and it can be modified by well defined chemistry. Here we describe an example of a coherent molecular electronic device whose behaviour is explicitly dependent on quantum interference between propagating electron waves-a Fabry-Perot electron resonator based on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes with near-perfect ohmic contacts to electrodes. In these devices, the nanotubes act as coherent electron waveguides, with the resonant cavity formed between the two nanotube-electrode interfaces. We use a theoretical model based on the multichannel Landauer-Büttiker formalism to analyse the device characteristics and find that coupling between the two propagating modes of the nanotubes caused by electron scattering at the nanotube-electrode interfaces is important.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Nature
          Nature
          Springer Science and Business Media LLC
          0028-0836
          0028-0836
          Jun 07 2001
          : 411
          : 6838
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
          Article
          35079517
          10.1038/35079517
          11395762
          2082cb85-bed7-46f5-af7d-0e2172cc86fa
          History

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