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Article: A superlattice sieve for electron energies. (interference filter)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- December 3, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A superlattice sieve for electron energies
The iridescent sheen of an oil slick is one example of light interference caused by reflections from the upper and lower surfaces of a thin film. The same principle can be applied in constructing thin-film optical filters that screen out all but a specified wavelength of light. Relying on the analogy that has been established between the passage of light waves through materials such as glass and the propagation of electrons as waves through semiconductors, researchers have now designed an interference filter not for light of a specified wavelength but for electrons with a certain energy.
"It is clear that a wide ...