Abstract
The effective mass theory of tunnelling through heterostructure barriers and its limitations is. outlined. Experimental investigations of the effect of hydrostatic pressure (up to 15 kilobar) and magnetic field (up to 11T) on the low temperature J(V) characteristics of single barrier n+GaAs/(AlGa)As/n-GaAs/ n+GaAs tunnelling structures are reported. The pressure dependence is accurately described by the effective mass/WKB model up to 10 kilobar. At higher pressure the observed breakdown of the model indicates the onset of band structure effects associated with the higher (X) conduction band minima. The reduction of the tunnelling current in an applied magnetic field is discussed in terms of the effect of the diamagnetic energy in increasing the height of the potential barrier.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
L. Esaki, Proc. Int. Conf. on Phys. of Semiconductors, San Francisco, pp.473–83 publ. Springer (1984).
T.C.L.G. Sollner, P.E. Tannenwald, D.C. Peck and W.D. Goodhue, Appl. Phys. Lett. 45, 1319 (1984).
M. Heiblum, M.I. Nathan, D.C. Thomas and C.M. Knoedler, Phys. Rev. Lett., 55, 2200 (1985).
A.R. Bonnefoi, D.H. Chow and T.C. McGill, Appl. Phys. Lett., 47 888 (1985).
LandoTt-Bornstein 17 Semiconductors III — V Compounds p.334 (1984).
T.W. Hickmott, P.M. Solomon, R. Fischer and H. Markoc, Appl. Phys. Lett. 44, 90 (1984).
D.C. Taylor, P.S.S. Guimaraes, B.R. Snell, L. Eaves, F.W. Sheard, G.A. Toombs and K.E. Singer, 4th Int. Conf. on Hot Electrons in Semiconductors, Innsbruck, Physica B 134, 12 (1985) see also G.A. Toombs, F.W. Sheard and L. Eaves, Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on Phonon Physics, Budapest, 1985 (in press).
E.O. Kane, J. Appl. Phys. 32, 83 (1961).
M. Jaros, Rep. Prog. Phys. 48, 1091 (1985).
A.C. Marsh and J.C. Inkson, J. Phys. C.: Sol. St. Phys. 17 6561 (1984).
D.C. Taylor, P.S.S. Guimaraes, B.R. Snell, F.W. Sheard, L. Eaves, G.A. Toombs, J.C. Portal, L. Dmowski, K.E. Singer, G. Hill and M.A. Pate, Proc. Int. Conf. on Modulated Semiconductor Structures, Kyoto (Surf. Science 1986).
P.S.S. Guimaraes, D.C. Taylor, B.R. Snell, L. Eaves, K.E. Singer, G. Hill, M.A. Pate, G.A. Toombs and F.W. Sheard, J. Phys. C.: Sol. St. Phys. 18, L605–9 (1985).
L. Eaves, P.S.S. Guimaraes, F.W. Sheard, B.R. Snell, D.C. Taylor, G.A. Toombs and K.E. Singer, J. Phys. C.: Sol. St. Phys. 18, L885–9 (1985).
L. Eaves, P.S.S. Guimaraes, B.R. Snell, D.C. Taylor, K.E. Singer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 262 (1985).
G.D. Pitt, J. Lees, R.A. Hoult and R.A. Stradling, J. Phys. C 6 (1973), 3282.
L.G. Shantharama, A.R. Adams, C.N. Ahmad and R.J. Nicholas, J. Phys. C 17 (1984), 4429.
N. Lifshitz, A. Jayaraman, R.A. Logan and R.C. Maines, Phys. Rev. B20, (1979), 2398.
Shubnikov-de Haas experiments on n (AlGa)As layers (Al = 0.3) (J.C. Portal, private communication) show a dramatic decrease in electron concentration in the r minimum at 11 kbar, indicating a r-X crossover.
K.W.H. Stevens, Eur. J. Phys. 1, (1980), 98.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Eaves, L., Taylor, D.C., Portal, J.C., Dmowski, L. (1986). Quantum Tunnelling of Electrons Through III–V Heterostructure Barriers. In: Bauer, G., Kuchar, F., Heinrich, H. (eds) Two-Dimensional Systems: Physics and New Devices. Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences, vol 67. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02470-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02470-6_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-02472-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-02470-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive