GaSb/AlAsSb resonant tunneling diodes with GaAsSb emitter prewells

We investigate the electronic transport properties of GaSb/AlAsSb double barrier resonant tunneling diodes with pseudomorphically grown ternary GaAsxSb1-x emitter prewells over a broad temperature range. At room temperature, resonant tunneling is observed and the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) is enhanced with the increasing As mole fraction from 1: 88 (GaAs0.07Sb0.93 prewell), to 2.08 (GaAs0.09Sb0.91 prewell) up to 2.36 (GaAs0.11Sb0.89 prewell). The rise in PVCR is attributed to an enhanced carrier density at the Gamma-valley within the emitter prewell. On the contrary at cryogenic temperatures, increasing the As mole fractions reduces the PVCR. At a temperature of T = 4.2K, reference samples without incorporation of an emitter prewell containing As show PVCRs up to 20.4. We attribute the reduced PVCR to a degraded crystal quality of the resonant tunneling structure caused by As incorporation and subsequently an enhanced defect scattering at the interfaces. Published by AIP Publishing.