Abstract
A rigorous quantum-mechanical description is given of coherent generation in a resonant-tunneling diode for the simple model of a double-barrier structure. Exact analytical solutions of the Schrödinger equation are found for electrons in the presence of a weak electromagnetic field. The active and reactive polarization currents are calculated over a wide frequency interval and are reduced to a simple and easy-to-visualize form. These expressions satisfy the Kramers-Kronig relations and general criteria of the theory of radiation and other formal requirements. An analysis of the threshold conditions of generation is given. In particular, it is shown that generation is possible at microwave frequencies exceeding the inverse lifetime of an electron in the quantum well. Thus, the “quasiclassical” idea of the existence of a limiting frequency, associated with the finite lifetime, turns out to be inapplicable for a resonant-tunneling diode, which occupies an intermediate position between lasers and Gunn diodes.
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Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 704–716 (August 1999)
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Elesin, V.F. Theory of coherent generation in resonant-tunneling diodes. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 89, 377–383 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558994
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558994