Electronic transmission in non-linear potential profile of GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs biased quantum well structure

We study the effect of the nonlinearity on electrons transmission properties in a double barriers structure GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs superlattices. The nonlinearity is introduced as an effective potential in the Schrödinger equation and translates the electronic Colombian repulsion. We have used the transfer matrix formalism and the plane wave functions approximation to solve numerically the equation and calculate the electronic transmission coefficient. We have shown the occurrence of two allowed states within the same well instead of a single, translating the presence of two resonant states at two different energies. The first allowed state intensity strongly decreases with increasing the nonlinear parameter, whereas the second one called the degeneracy state increases. Both the two states evolve towards higher resonances energies.

► We consider GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs superlattice with non-linear potential profile.
► The nonlinearity is introduced as an effective potential in the formalism.
► The transmission is computed by means of multi-step function method.
► A split of the resonant peak into two others is observed.