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Presents a study that investigated the characteristics of aluminum arsenide/gallium arsenide superlattice barriers using electrical barrier height analysis. Methodology; Determination of the superlattice barrier layer thickness; Comparison of the superlattice barrier of gallium arsenide and aluminum arsenide.

Quantum well diodes with barriers formed by thin, short-period binary AlAs/GaAs superlattices were fabricated and found to have very high peak-to-valley current ratios. The effects of varying the AlAs and GaAs layers in the barriers are studied. The peak current density is found to decrease by orders of magnitude for monolayer increases in the AlAs layer thicknesses. Tunneling current peaks due to both resonance levels in the quantum well and resonance levels in the superlattice barriers are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the largest peak-to-valley current (PVC) ratios to date from AlGaAs/GaAs double barrier (either alloy barrier or superlattice barrier) diodes. PVC ratios as high as 3.6 and 21.7 were obtained from an AlAs/GaAs superlattice barrier structure at 300 and 77 K, respectively. In an alloy barrier structure with x=0.42 (x=0.3), PVC ratios of 3.9 (2.2) and 14.3 (7.0) were observed at 300 and 77 K, respectively. We attribute these excellent results to a ‘‘two-step’’ spacer layer incorporated in the devices studied which facilitated the growth of high material quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]