Change of microscopic tunneling on a macroscopic time scale: Current surge model
- 17 February 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 87 (5) , 2427-2430
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.372196
Abstract
The current surge model is proposed to calculate the tunneling current in multiple quantum well structures in the presence of a slow time-dependent electric field. The microscopic origin of a zero-bias residual current observed and reported previously [A. Singh and D. A. Cardimona, Opt. Eng. (Bellingham) 38, 1424 (1999)] is explored. The mystery of the observation of a microscopic tunneling change on a macroscopic time scale is uncovered, and an involvement of a very slow physical process is shown. Some new features, such as a current “ripple,” a current instability, a current hysteresis, and a current “arch,” are predicted and confirmed experimentally.This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
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