Tunneling and propagating transport in GaAs-Ga_(1-x)Al_xAs-GaAs(100) double heterojunctions
- Creators
- Mailhiot, C.
- McGill, T. C.
- Schulman, J. N.
Abstract
We present a study of the transport characteristics of electrons through abrupt GaAs–Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs–GaAs(100) double heterojunctions. The theoretical apparatus uses complex‐k‐band structures in the tight‐binding approximation and transfer matrices. States on each side of the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs central barrier are expanded in terms of a complex‐k‐bulk state basis so as to provide a description of the wave function at the GaAs–Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs(100) interface. We treat the case where the incoming state in GaAs is derived from near the conduction band Γ point. Transmission through the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs barrier is either tunneling or propagating depending on the nature of the Bloch states available for strong coupling in the alloy. States derived from the same extremum of the conduction band appear to couple strongly to each other across the GaAs–Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs interface. Transport characteristics of incoming states derived from near the conduction band Γ point are examined as a function of the energy of the incoming state, thickness of the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs barrier, and alloy composition x. Transmission through the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs barrier is either tunneling or propagating, depending on the nature of the Bloch states available for strong coupling in the alloy.
Additional Information
© 1983 American Vacuum Society. Received 8 February 1983; accepted 21 February 1983. The authors wish to acknowledge D. L. Smith for clarifying their thoughts and assisting with the manuscript, and G. C. Osbourn for pointing out to them some previously published work related to the study presented here. One of us (CM) has been supported by the NSERC of Canada and by the Fonds F.C.A.C. pour l'aide et le soutien à la recherche of Québec. Work supported in part by the Army Research Office under Contract No. DAAG29-88-C-0103. Work supported in part by ONR Contract N00014-82-K-0458.Attached Files
Published - MAIjvstb83b.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 32402
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20120713-072654967
- NSERC (Canada)
- Fonds F.C.A.C. pour l'aide et le soutien à la recherche of Québec
- DAAG29-88-C-0103
- Army Research Office
- N00014-82-K-0458
- Office of Naval Research
- Created
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2012-07-13Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field