The stability of the self-consistently determined current of a double-barrier resonant-tunneling diode

Double-barrier resonant-tunneling devices belong to a novel class of nanoelectronic devices with great potential applications. In these devices, the self-consistent buildup of charge due to resonant carriers in the well may lead to bistability and hysteresis. To investigate aspects of dynamical (in)stability, a simple set of equations is derived from an extension of the static theory. These dynamic equations adequately describe small and slow (<100 GHz) deviations from the stationary state. This approach is viewed more as being more satisfactory than an equivalent-circuit analysis, but its limitations are also discussed.