Transport through InGaAs-InP superlattices grown by chemical beam epitaxy

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Abstract
We have studied the tunneling transport of several In0.53Ga0.47As-InP superlattices which were grown by the chemical beam epitaxy technique. When a high electric field is applied perpendicularly to the superlattice layers, the current-voltage characteristics show large negative differential resistances (NDRs) which are periodic in the applied field. The NDRs are caused by the regular expansion of a high-field domain within the superlattice. The regularity and large number of the NDRs observed demonstrate the high quality of the superlattices grown. They also point to their possible application in multiple-logic circuits. The temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the tunneling transport are also reported. In the high-field regime, the magnetic-field dependence is most remarkable for the large effect of the Lorentz force on the tunneling probability, while the temperature dependence of the different series of NDRs may be explained by the varying effectiveness of the phonon scattering on the width of different subbands.