SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF VERTICAL CHARGE TRANSPORT IN A SEMICONDUCTOR HETEROSTRUCTURE

In this work we present a theory of space- and time-dependent electrical transport in the heterostructure hot-electron diode. If the device is driven under current-controlled conditions in the middle branch of its S-shaped current-density-voltage characteristic, spatially homogeneous relaxation oscillations, as well as the formation of stationary filamentary patterns, can be found. Additionally, we predict a new type of self-organized, spatially inhomogeneous oscillation where an inhomogeneous current distribution appears and vanishes periodically. This periodicity is very sensitive to stochastic fluctuations.