Resonant magnetotunnelling spectroscopy: a direct probe of the complicated dispersion curves and negative mass behaviour of holes confined in a quantum well

• Published in: Surface science Vol. 263; no. 1; pp. 199 - 206
• Main Authors: Eaves, L., Hayden, R.K., Leadbeater, M.L., Maude, D.K., Valadares, E.C., Henini, M., Sheard, F.W., Hughes, O.H., Portal, J.C., Cury, L.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 19.02.1992; Amsterdam Elsevier Science; New York, NY
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Surface and interface electron states
• ISSN: 0039-6028; 1879-2758
• DOI: 10.1016/0039-6028(92)90336-5

We describe a novel magnetotunnelling spectroscopy technique for probing the complicated dispersion curves of hole states in the quantum well of p-type double barrier resonant tunnelling structures. Strong mixing between light and heavy hole states is observed. Some of the states clearly exhibit negative hole effective mass for motion in the plane of the quantum well. The results are contrasted with the simple case of resonant tunnelling of electrons in in-plane and tilted magnetic fields. For electron resonant tunnelling in tilted fields, we observe additional peaks in I( V). These are due to non-Landau level index-conserving transitions from the two-dimensional emitter accumulation layer to the quantum well.