Editing Quantum well (section)

== History ==
The [[semiconductor]] quantum well was developed in 1970 by [[Leo Esaki|Esaki]] and [[Raphael Tsu|Tsu]], who also invented synthetic [[superlattice]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last1=Fox|first1=Mark|title=Quantum Wells, Superlattices, and Band-Gap Engineering|date=2006|work=Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials|pages=1021–1040|publisher=Springer US|isbn=978-0-387-26059-4|last2=Ispasoiu|first2=Radu|doi=10.1007/978-0-387-29185-7_42}}</ref> They suggested that a [[Heterojunction|heterostructure]] made up of alternating thin layers of semiconductors with different band-gaps should exhibit interesting and useful properties.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Physics of quantum well devices|last=Nag, B. R.|date=2002|publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers|oclc=754036669}}</ref> Since then, much effort and research has gone into studying the physics of quantum well systems as well as developing quantum well devices.

The development of quantum well devices is greatly attributed to the advancements in [[crystal growth]] techniques. This is because quantum well devices require structures that are of high purity with few defects. Therefore, having great control over the growth of these heterostructures allows for the development of semiconductor devices that can have very fine-tuned properties.<ref name=":0" />

Quantum wells and semiconductor physics has been a hot topic in physics research. Development of semiconductor devices using structures made up of multiple semiconductors resulted in Nobel Prizes for [[Zhores Alferov]] and [[Herbert Kroemer]] in 2000.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The Oxford solid state basics|last=Simon, Steven H.|date=2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-968077-1|oclc=1091723162}}</ref>

The theory surrounding quantum well devices has led to significant advancements in the production and efficiency of many modern components such as [[light-emitting diode]]s, [[transistor]]s for example. Today, such devices are ubiquitous in modern cell phones, computers, and many other computing devices.