CHAOTIC ELECTRON MOTION IN MACROSCOPIC AND MESOSCOPIC ANTIDOT LATTICES

Antidot arrays consisting of a lattice of nanometer scale holes etched through a two-dimensional electron gas display distinct resistance an omalies if the period of the array is much smaller than the electron m ean free path. While in conventional conductors the electrons are defl ected by randomly distributed scatterers, the situation is different i n antidot arrays: here, the electrons predominantly collide with the p eriodically arranged antidots. Due to their geometry, antidot lattices can be considered as periodically repeated Sinai billiards, known for their classically chaotic electron dynamics. Here, electron transport through two different types of antidot lattices will be discussed: in macroscopic antidot lattices the extent of the array is much larger t han the phase coherence length or the elastic mean free path of the el ectrons while in mesoscopic ones the electrons can travel ballisticall y from the 'entrance' to the 'exit' of the array. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd.