Advancing MIM electronics: amorphous metal electrodes.

Effectively controlling quantum mechanical tunneling through an ultrathin dielectric represents a fundamental materials challenge in the quest for high-performance metal-insulatormetal (MIM) diodes. Such diodes are the basis for alternative approaches to conventional thin-fi lm transistor technologies for large-area information displays, [ 1 , 2 ] various types of hot electron transistors, [ 2–6 ] ultrahigh speed discrete or antennacoupled detectors, [ 7–14 ] and optical rectennas. [ 15 ] MIM diodes have been fabricated by anodization, [ 1 ] thermal oxidation, [ 8–11 , 14 ]