Active thin film quantum mechanical tunneling apparatus

Claim 1

ACTIVE THIN FILM QUANTUM MECHANICAL TUNNELING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST AND A SECOND PAIR OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL LAYERS, AT LEAST ONE OF THE CONDUCTIVE LAYERS OF EACH PAIR BEING OF DIFFERENT RELATIVE WORK FUNCTION THAN THE OTHER MATERIAL LAYER THEREOF, (B) EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF LAYERS OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BEING SEPARATED BY AN INSULATING LAYER WHEREBY A CONTACT POTENTIAL IS DEVELOPED BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF CONDUCTIVE LAYERS INDUCING AN INTRINSIC FIELD IN THE RESPECTIVE INSULATOR PERMITTING ELECTRONS TO TUNNEL FROM THE LOWER WORK FUNCTION MATERIAL TO THE HIGHER WORK PAIR OF MATERIALS, (C) THE MATERIAL LAYER OF HIGHER WORK FUNCTION OF ONE PAIR OF MATERIALS BEING ARRANGED IN CONTACT WITH THE MATERIAL LAYER OF LOWER WORK FUNCTION OF THE OTHER PAIR OF MATERIALS, (D) MEANS BIASING THE LOWER WORK FUNCTION MATERIAL OF ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF CONDUCTIVE LAYERS NEGATIVELY WHILE BIASING THE HIGHER WORK FUNCTION MATERIAL OF THE OTHER PAIR OF CONDUCTIVE LAYERS POSITIVELY WITH RESPECT TO THE REMAINING LAYERS EFFECTIVELY INCREASING THE ELECTRON INJECTION ENERGY OF ELECTRONS TUNNELING FROM SAID LOWER TO SAID HIGHER WORK FUNCTION MATERIALS PRODUCING A GAIN OF BETTER THAN TWO-TO-ONE UPON ENERGIZATION OF SAID APPARATUS.