Ballistic conduction

Imagine a toy car is going down a slide. When it starts moving, it has a certain speed and it keeps going at that speed until it reaches the end of the slide. This is what happens in ballistic conduction, but with electrons instead of a toy car.

Electrons are tiny particles that move around inside materials such as metals or semiconductors. When these materials are heated or have a voltage applied to them, the electrons start moving around. Some of them can move in straight lines without colliding with anything, like the toy car on the slide.

This is what is meant by ballistic conduction. The electrons move rapidly in straight lines through the metal or semiconductor, like a bullet through the air, until they collide with something else, such as an atom in the material or a surface. This collision slows them down or changes their direction, and they can then move through the material in other ways.

Ballistic conduction is important in electronic devices, as it can result in faster and more efficient operation. However, it requires special conditions, such as very pure materials and very low temperatures, and it is not always easy to achieve.