Hopping currents in the intrinsic region of III‐N‐V quantum well structures in the tight binding approximation

Abstract

AbstractWe calculate for the first time Nearest Neighbor Hopping (NNH) current densities for III‐N‐V heterostructures embedded in the intrinsic layer of p‐i‐n geometries. We start from a general formalism that relates the density of states in individual wells with the transition probabilities from a quantum well state to a neighboring one, in a superlattice‐geometry. In the process, we find and point out the fact that there is zero hopping‐current without Fermi level splitting for any two consecutive layers.). We then relate the eigen‐energies with the transition probabilities and conclude that NNH ‐currents are of the order of 0.06 mA/cm2 at the most and in room temperatures, and depend on (a) device geometry (b) temperature (c) conduction band discontinuity and (d) Fermi level splitting. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)