QUANTUM INTERFERENCE DEVICES AND FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTORS - A SWITCH ENERGY COMPARISON

We compare quantum interference devices, exemplified by a resonant tun nel transistor, an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer, and a Y-branch switch , to field-effect transistors regarding their capability to reach fund amentally limited switch energies as well as their normalized transcon ductance. The resonant tunnel transistor is found to behave similarly to the field-effect transistor (FET). The Aharonov-Bohm interferometer is essentially equivalent to a single-mode Y-branch switch, while the Y branch has an advantage in allowing multimode operation. The normal ized transconductance of these two devices can be an order of magnitud e larger than for a FET.