Semiconductor superlattices: a model system for nonlinear transport

By Andreas Wacker. 2001

426 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Electric transport in semiconductor superlattices is dominated by pronounced negative differential conductivity. In this report, the standard transport theories for superlattices, i.e. miniband conduction, Wannier–Stark hopping, and sequential tunneling, are reviewed in detail. Their relation to each other is clarified by a comparison with a quantum transport model based on nonequilibrium Green functions. It is demonstrated that the occurrence of negative differential conductivity causes inhomogeneous electric field distributions, yielding either a characteristic sawtooth shape of the current–voltage characteristic or self-sustained current oscillations. An additional ac-voltage in the THz range is included in the theory as well. The results display absolute negative conductance, photon-assisted tunneling, the possibility of gain, and a negative tunneling capacitance.

Subfields: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/41d2270a3243961906a0c96abfe066315373d77f

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

1. Tillmann Kubis
2. Holger Grahn
3. Luis L. Bonilla

In Electrical and Electronic Engineering

1. Tillmann Kubis
2. Holger Grahn
3. Luis L. Bonilla

Citations in the corpus

• Non-linear dynamics of semiconductor superlattices (2005, methodology): “A general theory of self-consistent NGF for SLs with several minibands and realistic scattering mechanisms is still missing.”
• nextnano: General Purpose 3-D Simulations (2007, background): “The previously neglected [25] momentum and energy dependence of the scattering mechanisms is shown”