Zener tunneling in semiconductor superlattices.

Characteristics of miniband tunneling and Wannier-Stark levels in semiconductor superlattices are studied as regards their dependence on the symmetry of the unit cells and the type of miniband structure. We modify the k ⋅ p method into a k ⋅ v form and on this basis generalize the Zener formula for the inter-band tunneling in homogeneous semiconductors to the case of inter-miniband tunneling in superlattices, account being taken of the inhomogeneity of the electron effective mass. The corresponding sum rule for the effective masses in such structures is obtained. We develop a unified matrix approach for the calculation of the inter-miniband tunneling and Wannier-Stark levels in the case of an arbitrary number of minibands. We study the electric field dependence of the probability of inter-miniband tunneling for an electron transferred through the Brillouin minizone only once. The peculiarities of the inter-miniband transitions for the case where this transfer is repeated are also examined for various unit cells and miniband structures of the superlattice. In addition, we discuss mechanisms and specific features of the resonant Zener tunneling and its manifestations in electron transport.