WO2007100941-A2  ENIKOV ET AL.: 'Analysis of Nanometer Vacuum Gap Formation in Thermo-tunneling Devices' NANOTECHNOLOGY vol. 19, 31 January 2008,EP1984625-A2  See also references of WO 2007100941A2US8018117-B2  European Supplementary Search Report, issued Oct. 22, 2010, Appln. No. 077814511.7-2208/2057659, PCT/US2007077042 (8 pgs).;  "Analysis of Nanometer Vacuum Gap Formation in Thermo-Tunneling Devices", Enikov et al., Nanotechnology 19 (2008), Jan. 31, 2008.;  International Search Report and Written Opinion issued in PCT/US07/77042, dated Sep. 5, 2008.;  Refrigeration by Combined Tunneling and Thermionic Emission in Vacuum: Use of Nanometer Scale Design, Y. Hishinuma, T.H. Geballe, B.Y. Moyzhes, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 78, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2001, abstract only.;  Vacuum Thermionic Refrigeration with a Semiconductor Heterojunction Structure, Y. Hishinuna, T.H. Geballe, B.Y. Moyzhes, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 81, No. 22, Nov. 25, 2002, abstract only.;  Design and Characterization of Thin Film Microcoolers, Chris LaBounty, Ali Shakouri, John E. Bowers, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 89, No. 7, Apr. 1, 2001, abstract only.;  Possible Cooling by Resonant Fowler-Nordheim Emission, A.N. Korotkov and K.K. Likharev, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 75, No. 16, Aug. 23, 1999, abstract only.;  Thermionic Refrigeration, G.D. Mahan, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 76, No. 7, Oct. 1, 1994, (abstract only).;  Multilayer Thermionic Refrigerator, G.D. Mahan, J.A. Sofao and M. Bartkoiwak, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 83, No. 9, May 1, 1998, abstract only.;  Measurements of Cooling by Room Temperature Thermionic Emission Across a Nanometer Gap, Y. Hishinuma, T.H. Geballe, B.Y. Moyzhes, T.W. Kenny, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 94, No. 7, Oct. 1, 2003, abstract only.;  "Quantum, Cylic, and Particle-Exchange Heat Engines", Humphrey et al., Physica E29, 390-398, 2005.;  Efficiency of Refrigeration using Thermotunneling and Thermionic Emission in a Vacuum: Use of Nanometer Scale Design, by Y.Hishinuna, T.H. Geballe, B.Y. Moyzhes, and T.W. Kenny, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 78, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2001 (also published/previously cited as Refrigeration by combined tunneling and thermionic emission in vacuum: Use of nanometer scale design), abstract only.;  Micron-gap ThermoPhotoVoltaics (MTPV), by R. DiMatteo, P. Greiff, D. Seltzer, D. Meulenberg, E. Brown, E. Carlen, K. Kaiser, S. Finberg, H. Nguyen, J. Azarkevich, P. Baldasaro, J. Beausang, L. Danielson, M. Dashiell, D. DePoy, H. Ehsani, W. Topper, K. Rahner, R. Siergie, Thermophotovoltaic Generation of Electricity Sixth Conference, American Institute of Physics, 2004.;  Thermal and electrical properties of Czochralski grown GeSi single crystals, by I. Yonenaga et. al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 2001.;  "Thermotunneling Based Cooling Systems for High Efficiency Buildings", by Marco Aimi, Mehmet Arik, James Bray, Thomas Gorczyca, Darryl Michael, and Stan Weaver General Electric Global Research Center, DOE Report Identifier DE-FC26-04NT42324, 2007.;  "Selective Epitaxial Growth of SiGe on a SOI Substrate by Using Ultra-High-Vacuum Chemical Vapor Deposition", by H. Choi, J. Bae, D. Soh, and S. Hong, Journal of he Korean Physical Society, vol. 48, No. 4, Apr. 2006, pp. 648-652.;  "Strain relaxation of SiGe islands on compliant oxide", by H. Yin et. al. Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 91, No. 12, Jun. 15, 2002.;  "Complex Thermoelectric Materials", by G.J. Snyder and E. S. Tober, Nature Materials, vol. 7 Feb. 2008.;  Substrate-mediated photoinduced chemical reactions on ultrathin metal films, V.P. Zhdanov, B. Kasemo, Department of Applied Physics, Apr. 19, 1999, Surface Science 432 (1999) L599-L603.;  Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3) Nanowires: Synthesis by Cyclic Electrodeposition/Stripping, Thinning by Electrooxidation, and Electrical Power Generation, E.J. Menke et al, Langmuir 2006, 22, 10564-10574, Jun. 30, 2006.;  Electronic Properties of Bismuth Nanowires, Stephen B. Cronin et al., Dept of Physics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Chemistry and Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.;  International Search Report and Written Opinion, PCT/US09/69959, Mar. 15, 2010 (10 pgs).;  Jangidze et al., "Electroplating of conformal electrodes for vacuum nanogap tunnel junction", Tbilisi State University, Chavchavadze Ave. 13, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia, Nov. 2008, pp. 1-11.;  European Supplementary Search Report, issued Oct. 12, 2010, Appln. No. 07756398.9-2208 /198425, PCT/US2007060871, (6 pgs).;  International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/US07/07042, Mar. 12, 2009 (5 pgs).;  International Search Report and Written Opinion, PCT/US07/60871, Jan. 22, 2007 (6 pgs).;  European Communication, issued May 27, 2011, Appln. No. 07 756 398.9-2208 (3 pgs).;  European Communication issued Jun. 1, 2011, Appln. No. 07 814 511.7-2208 (3 pgs).