English

Nonlinear stochastic discrete drift-diffusion theory of charge fluctuations and domain relocation times in semiconductor superlattices

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2009-11-07 v1 Materials Science

Abstract

A stochastic discrete drift-diffusion model is proposed to account for the effects of shot noise in weakly coupled, highly doped semiconductor superlattices. Their current-voltage characteristics consist of a number stable multistable branches corresponding to electric field profiles displaying two domains separated by a domain wall. If the initial state corresponds to a voltage on the middle of a stable branch and a sudden voltage is switched so that the final voltage corresponds to the next branch, the domains relocate after a certain delay time. Shot noise causes the distribution of delay times to change from a Gaussian to a first passage time distribution as the final voltage approaches that of the end of the first current branch. These results agree qualitatively with experiments by Rogozia {\it et al} (Phys. Rev. B {\bf 64}, 041308(R) (2001)).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0201500,
  title  = {Nonlinear stochastic discrete drift-diffusion theory of charge fluctuations and domain relocation times in semiconductor superlattices},
  author = {L. L. Bonilla and O. Sanchez and J. Soler},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0201500},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

9 pages, 12 figures, 2 column format