Picosecond Characterization of InGaAs/InAlAs Resonant Tunneling Barrier Diode by Electro-Optic Sampling

Abstract
We have studied the dynamic response of the InGaAs/InAlAs resonant tunneling barrier (RTB) diode using electro-optic sampling. We have confirmed that the switching time decreases with the barrier thickness. We propose an equivalent circuit model of the RTB diode to phenomenologically treat the “state-lifetime”, that is, the quantum mechanical lifetime of the resonant-state formed in the quantum well. Using this model, we have found that the experimental state-lifetime is smaller than its calculated value in the unbiased condition.