We have carried out Young's double-slit experiment for the hot-electron wave in man-made semiconductor structures with a 25-nm-space double slit in an InP layer buried within GaInAs, a 190-nm-thick GaInAsP hot-electron wave propagation layer, and a collector array of 80 nm pitch. At 4.2 K, dependences of the collector current on the magnetic field were measured and found to agree clearly with the double-slit interference theory. The present results show evidence for the wave front spread of hot electrons using the three-dimensional state in materials, for the first time, and the possibility of using top-down fabrication techniques to achieve quantum wave front control in materials.

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This is a detailed description of the first definite observation of the double-slit interference of a hot electron in a solid. The observation has been achieved by fabricating a double-slit with a 12 nm opening and a 25 nm center-to-center distance and a detection electrode with a 40 nm width. Various inspections are made theoretically to confirm the double-slit diffraction/ interference. This achievement will open the door to the creation of solid-state devices with new functions based on the wave nature of electrons.