Investigation of In0.53Ga0.47As/AlAs resonant tunneling diodes for high speed switching

Abstract
We report an investigation of In0.53Ga0.47As/AlAs resonant tunneling diodes designed for high speed switching applications. Experimental peak current densities are observed to increase with decreasing AlAs barrier thicknesses, in good agreement with a two band tunneling calculation, which includes the effects of strain and band bending. Swing voltages over the range 0.5–1.0 V are demonstrated to be controllable via the thickness of a lightly doped depletion layer. Estimated RC time constants are compared with intrinsic tunneling times for the samples studied. A sample with 6 monolayerAlAs barriers yields devices with peak current densities of 3.1×105 A/cm2 and peak‐to‐valley current ratios of 6:1. The minimum rise time in this sample is calculated to be limited by RC switching delays to 1.6 ps.