Resonant tunneling through a diode accumulation layer

Abstract

The phenomenon equivalent to resonant tunneling, in a double-barrier diode with a spacer layer and consequent accumulation layer on the cathode (source) side, is elucidated. The accumulation layer and the inter-barrier well each support an electron quasi-level (or several) which may be expected to combine coherently into a doublet of states that are filled by in-scattering of the source electrons and emptied by tunneling to the “anode” side. The resulting current depends on the distribution of electron density (norm) between these two component orbitals, with a peak (as a function of bias) at the “level crossing” point where the norms are each 1/2. The analysis draws on a previous computational study of Gamow-like tunneling out of a double-well system, as a model of the electron states. The in-scattering rate due to acoustic-mode phonons in particular is calculated. Corresponding diode current characteristics are obtained.