High-frequency response and the possibilities of frequency-tunable narrow-band terahertz amplification in resonant tunneling nanostructures

Journal Article · Fri Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063776113030096· OSTI ID:22156288

Kopaev, Yu. V.; Savinov, S. A.; Murzin, V. N. ^[1]

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1. Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation)

The characteristics of the high-frequency response of single- and double-well resonant tunneling structures in a dc electric field are investigated on the basis of the numerical solution of a time-dependent Schroedinger equation with open boundary conditions. The frequency dependence of the real part of high frequency conductivity (high-frequency response) in In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As/AlAs/InP structures is analyzed in detail for various values of the dc voltage V{sub dc} in the negative differential resistance (NDR) region. It is shown that double-well three-barrier structures are promising for the design of terahertz-band oscillators. The presence of two resonant states with close energies in such structures leads to a resonant (in frequency) response whose frequency is determined by the energy difference between these levels and can be controlled by varying the parameters of the structure. It is shown that, in principle, such structures admit narrow-band amplification, tuning of the amplification frequency, and a fine control of the amplification (oscillation) frequency in a wide range of terahertz frequencies by varying a dc electric voltage applied to the structure. Starting from a certain width of the central intermediate barrier in double-well structures, one can observe a collapse of resonances, where the structure behaves like a single-well system. This phenomenon imposes a lower limit on the oscillation frequency in three-barrier resonant tunneling structures.

• OSTI ID: 22156288
• Journal Information: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 3; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-7761
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HETEROJUNCTIONS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM PHOSPHIDES
LAYERS
NANOSTRUCTURES
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
OSCILLATORS
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
RESONANCE
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
TIME DEPENDENCE
TUNNEL EFFECT