Proposed planar scanning tunneling microscope diode: application as an infrared and optical detector

The authors propose a practical application for a planar scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-like structure incorporated on an integrated circuit. The receiving or detecting properties of the diode are tuned to selected infrared or visible wavelengths through controlled tunnel gap spacings. Diodes configured to receive one wavelength reject incident signals for which the gap spacing is greater than some critical spacing that can be determined by the frequency of the incident signal and gap parameters. With the selective reception characteristics of these diodes, coded infrared and optical signals can be received by an integrated circuit and can be converted to binary code compatible with the circuit logic.