Band-structure effects in AlSb-InAs-AlSb double-barrier structures

This letter reports the study of the resonant-tunneling characteristics of the AlSb-InAs-AlSb double-barrier structures within a second-neighbor sp3 bond-orbital model. The model employs one s-like antibonding orbital and 3 p-like bonding orbitals per unit site and is capable of describing the lowest conduction band accurately throughout the entire Brillouin zone. The current-voltage curve thus obtained, compared to those obtained using the nearest-neighbor sp3 bond-orbital model or those obtained from the two-band model, gives a much better agreement with the experiment.