heterostructure

…form what is called a heterostructure. Most continuously operating semiconductor lasers consist of heterostructures, a simple example consisting of 1000-angstrom thick gallium arsenide layers sandwiched between somewhat thicker (about 10000 angstroms) layers of gallium aluminum arsenide—all grown epitaxially on a gallium arsenide substrate. The sandwiching and repeating of very thin…

…microelectronic components made from semiconductor heterostructures. (While most computer chips and other semiconductor components were made from one kind of material, such as silicon, heterostructure semiconductors were made from layers of different materials.) Using Kroemer’s theory, which suggested that a heterostructure transistor was superior to a conventional transistor, Alferov and…

…theoretical calculations showing that a heterostructure transistor would be superior to a conventional transistor, especially for certain high-frequency uses and other applications. (Most computer chips and other semiconductor components are made from one kind of material, whereas heterostructures are made of different materials.) Scientists later showed that he was correct—heterostructure…