Active conductivity of plane two-barrier resonance tunnel structure as operating element of quantum cascade laser or detector

Abstract

Within the model of rectangular potentials and different effective masses of electrons in different elements of plane two-barrier resonance tunnel structure there is developed a theory of spectral parameters of quasi-stationary states and active conductivity for the case of mono-energetic electronic current interacting with electromagnetic field. It is shown that the two-barrier resonance tunnel structure can be utilized as a separate or active element of quantum cascade laser or detector. For the experimentally studied In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As/In$_{0.52}$Al$_{0.48}$As nano-system it is established that the two-barrier resonance tunnel structure, in detector and laser regimes, optimally operates (with the biggest conductivity at the smallest exciting current) at the quantum transitions between the lowest quasi-stationary states.