Current rectification through a single-barrier resonant tunneling quantum structure

✍ Scribed by G. Papp; M. Di Ventra; C. Coluzza; A. Baldereschi; G. Margaritondo

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 109 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0749-6036
• DOI: 10.1006/spmi.1995.1049

✦ Synopsis

We propose a simple quantum structure which exhibits resonant tunneling under one bias and simple tunneling under the opposite one, thus acting as a rectifier. The diode consists of a single laterally-indented barrier. Due to its particular conductionband profile, electrons undergo resonant tunneling when the bias creates a bandprofile triangular well which can contain a resonant state aligned to the emitter Fermi energy. A diode with an active layer of (\approx 100 \AA), realized by (\mathrm{AlGaAs} / \mathrm{GaAs}), has a Rectification Ratio, calculated at the current-peak bias at resonance, of (\approx 100). This value can be enhanced by putting in series several elements of this kind.