https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00016-2
Dynamical behavior of electron transport in AlGaAs/GaAs double-barrier structures under a high-frequency radiation field
1
Department of Physics, Yantai University, 264005, Yantai, P.R. China
2
Department of Physics and Key Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Nanoscience, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P.R. China
Corresponding author: a zhdai@ytu.edu.cn
Received:
14
August
2007
Revised:
26
November
2007
Published online:
16
January
2008
We investigate the time-dependent dynamical behavior of electron transport in AlGaAs/GaAs double-barrier structures under a high-frequency radiation field. The effects of the radiation field with different amplitude and frequency on the real-time and mean current-voltage curves are taken into account. We find that the amplitude and frequency of the radiation field affect the final stable state current-voltage (I-V) behaviors, which leads to the switching between different current states at a smaller bias than that of the absence of the radiation field, and both current hysteresis and resonant peaks are suppressed by the external radiation field. The high radiation field strength can make the resonant peak of current split and the hysteresis of current disappear. This effect provides the potential to use double-barrier structure as a THz photoelectric switch.
PACS: 73.63.Hs – Quantum wells / 73.40.Gk – Tunneling / 73.23.-b – Electronic transport in mesoscopic systems / 72.10.Bg – General formulation of transport theory
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2008