Ballistic Transport in 1D GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostructures

Due to the miniaturization and technological advancement, semiconductor devices enter into mesoscopic or ballistic regime where the kinetic energy of the charge particles becomes quantized allowing them to be used in high speed applications. This review article starts with a brief introduction to 2D mesoscopic systems which is followed by introducing important concepts in 1D systems based on very high purity gallium arsenide (GaAs) heterostructures. Basic theoretical concepts, fabrication methods, and electrical properties of ballistic transport in p- and n-type GaAs based 1D systems have been discussed in details.