S. Pérez

Terahertz Gunn-like oscillations in InGaAs/InAlAs planar diodes

A microscopic analysis of self-generated terahertz current oscillations that take place in planar InAlAs/InGaAs slot diodes operating under dc bias is presented. An ensemble Monte Carlo simulation is used for the calculations. The onset of the oscillations is thresholdlike, for drain-source voltages surpassing 0.6 V. The Gunn-like mechanisms and the modulation of the injection of electrons into the recess-to-drain region, which alternatively takes place in the Γ or L valley, are found at the origin of the phenomenon. Terahertz frequencies are reached because of the presence of ultrafast Γ electrons in the region of interest. Extremely high velocities are achieved by (i) the effect of the recess, which focuses the electric field and launches very fast electrons into the drain region, and (ii) the influence of degeneracy, which significantly reduces the rate of scattering mechanisms and enhances the electron mobility in the channel.

Monte Carlo simulation of Schottky diodes operating under terahertz cyclostationary conditions

We report Monte Carlo simulations of the current response and noise spectrum in heavily doped nanometric GaAs Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) operating under periodic large-signal conditions in the forward bias region. Due to the rather thin depletion region and heavy doping of these diodes, we find that the returning carrier resonance is shifted well above the terahertz region, so that the low-frequency noise plateau extends over the terahertz region. Here, frequency multiplication and mixing can take place at noise levels equal or below than that of full shot noise. We show that the signal-to-noise ratio of these SBDs is definitely superior to that of bulk semiconductors exploiting velocity-field nonlinearity.

Monte Carlo investigation of terahertz plasma oscillations in ultrathin layers of n-type In0.53Ga0.47As

By numerical simulations we investigate the dispersion of the plasma frequency in a n-type In0.53Ga0.47As layer of thickness W and submicron length at T=300K. For W=100nm and carrier concentrations of 1016–1018cm−3 the results are in good agreement with the standard three-dimensional (3D) expression of the plasma frequency. For W⩽10nm the results exhibit a plasma frequency that depends on L, thus implying that the oscillation mode is dispersive. The corresponding frequency values are in good agreement with the two-dimensional (2D) expression of the plasma frequency obtained for a ballistic regime within the in-plane approximation for the electric field. A region of cross over between the 2D and 3D behaviors of the plasma frequency is evidenced for W>10nm.

Numerical study of sub-millimeter Gunn oscillations in InP and GaN vertical diodes: Dependence on bias, doping, and length

In this work, we report on Monte Carlo simulations of InP and GaN vertical Gunn diodes to optimize their oscillation frequency and DC to AC conversion efficiency. We show that equivalent operating conditions are achieved by the direct application of a sinusoidal AC voltage superimposed to the DC bias and by the simulation of the intrinsic device coupled with the consistent solution of a parallel RLC resonant circuit connected in series. InP diodes with active region about 1 μm offer a conversion efficiency up to 5.5% for frequencies around 225 GHz. By virtue of the larger saturation velocity, for a given diode length, oscillation frequencies in GaN diodes are higher than for InP structures. Current oscillations at frequencies as high as 675 GHz, with 0.1% efficiency, are predicted at the sixth generation band in a 0.9 μm-long GaN diode, corroborating the suitability of GaN to operate near the THz band. At the first generation band, structures with notch, in general, provide lower oscillation frequencies a...

Monte Carlo analysis of the noise behavior in Si bipolar junction transistors and SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors at radio frequencies

We present a comparative analysis of the current spectral densities in a Si bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and a SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) of identical geometry performed by means of an ensemble Monte Carlo simulator self consistently coupled with a two-dimensional Poisson solver. We focus on the physical origin of the different noise sources in the transistors at rf when varying the injection level conditions. At low injection the spectral density of base current fluctuations, SJB(0), is governed by thermal noise related to the base resistance, while the collector spectral density, SJC(0), reaches a typical shot noise response. At high current density the onset of high injection in the base and the base push-out play an important role in the noise behavior of both transistors. Thus, SJC(0) deviates from the typical shot noise response. Hot carrier effects are also present. In the HBT, these effects are less important than in the BJT due to the SiGe/Si heterointerface, and SJB(0) can...

Theoretical investigation of Schottky-barrier diode noise performance in external resonant circuits

We report Monte Carlo simulations of electronic noise in heavily doped nanometric GaAs Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) recently proposed as promising devices for THz applications. We consider a SBD operating in series with a parallel output resonant circuit when a high-frequency large-signal voltage is applied to the whole system. Significant modifications of the noise spectrum with respect to the diode subjected to a constant applied voltage are found to occur in the THz-region. To interpret such behaviour, we have developed a simple analytical approach based on the static I–V and C–V relations as well as on the series resistance of the SBD.

Monte Carlo investigation of terahertz plasma oscillations in gated ultrathin channel of n-InGaAs

By numerical simulations we investigate the dispersion of the plasma frequency in a gated channel of n-type InGaAs layer of thickness W and submicron length L at T=300 K. In the presence of a source-drain voltage and for a carrier concentrations of 1018 cm−3 the spectra evidences a peaked shape with two main bumps, the former at high frequency corresponding to the three-dimensional plasma frequency and the latter at a low frequency. The frequency value of the latter peak exhibits a dispersion as the inverse of the channel length in agreement with the predictions of gradual channel approximation. At increasing drain voltages the instabilities associated with the presence of Gunn domains are responsible for a suppression of the plasma peak in favor of the onset of a peak in the subterahertz domain associated with transit time effects.

Monte Carlo simulation of threshold bandwidth for high-order harmonic extraction

The feasibility of bulk semiconductors subjected to strong periodic electric fields for terahertz radiation generation due to the high-order harmonic extraction is analyzed by using Monte Carlo simulations. The high-order harmonic intensity and the spectral density of velocity fluctuations are calculated for GaAs, InP, and InN. By comparing the harmonic intensity with the noise level the threshold bandwidth for high-order harmonic extraction determined by their ratio is introduced and evaluated for the above materials. The results show that semiconductor materials with a high value of the threshold field for the Gunn-effect are characterized by a high value of the threshold bandwidth under high-order harmonic generation and, hence, they are promising materials for microwave generation in the THz frequency range by high-order harmonic extraction.

Monte Carlo analysis of the influence of dc conditions on the upconversion of generation-recombination noise in semiconductors

We present a study of the influence of nonlinear velocity-field characteristics of semiconductors on the upconversion of low-frequency generation-recombination noise to high frequencies. An ensemble Monte Carlo simulation is used for the calculations. When a periodic electric field of large amplitude is applied to the semiconductor we observe the generation of harmonics in the current response, and the upconversion of generation-recombination noise as sidebands around these harmonics. By varying the dc value of the applied electric field we obtain the main result of this work: upconverted noise is dramatically reduced when the sample is biased in the quasi-saturation region.

Monte Carlo Simulation of Electronic Noise in Semiconductor Materials and Devices Operating under Cyclostationary Conditions

To qualify the feasibility of standard semiconductor materials and Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) for THz high-order harmonics generation and extraction, the noise-to-signal ratio is calculated by the Monte Carlo method. Heavily doped GaAs SBDs are found to exhibit conditions for frequency mixing and harmonics extraction which are definitively superior to those of bulk materials.