Computers use switches to perform calculations. A complex film with "quantum wells"—regions that allow electron motion in only two dimensions—can be used to make efficient switches for tall-speed computers. For the first time,this oxide film exhibited a phenomenon, called resonant tunneling, and in which electrons prance between quantum wells at a specific voltage. This behavior allowed an extremely large ratio (approximately 100000:1) between two states,which can be used in an electronic device as an ON/OFF switch to perform mathematical calculations.
Source: phys.org