Microscopic modeling of nonlinear transport in ballistic nanodevices

By using a semi-classical two-dimensional (2-D) Monte Carlo simulation, simple ballistic devices based on AlInAs/InGaAs channels are analyzed. Our simulations qualitatively reproduce the experimental results in T- and Y-branch junctions as well as in a ballistic rectifier appearing as a result of electron ballistic transport. We show that a quantum description of electron transport is not essential for the physical explanation of these results since phase coherence plays no significant role. On the contrary, its origin can be purely classical: the presence of classical electron transport and space charge inside the structures.