Effect of a high transverse magnetic field on the tunneling through barriers between semiconductors and superlattices

Abstract

We present a quantum-mechanical analysis of magnetotunneling in a high transverse magnetic field B. We use a transfer-Hamiltonian technique for computing the current density through a barrier as a function of both B and the bias voltage V. Several systems of the type semiconductor-barrier-semiconductor and superlattice-barrier-superlattice are studied. From our results quantum oscillations and negative differential conductance are interpreted in terms of variations in the available channels for tunneling. Special attention is devoted to the comparison with previously reported experimental information.