Optical investigation of charge accumulation and bistability in an asymmetric double barrier resonant tunneling heterostructure

Abstract

A photoluminescence study of an asymmetric double barrier resonant tunneling structure, exhibiting intrinsic bistability, is reported. The variation of PL linewidth with bias provides a direct signature of the charge build-up in the well which occurs during resonant tunneling. Accurate values of the charge density are deduced from the Landau level filling in PL spectra taken as a function of magnetic field.