Physics and applications of Si/SiGe/Si resonant interband tunneling diodes

Room temperature (RT) current-voltage characteristics of Si/Si1-xGex/Si p(+)-i-n(+) interband tunneling diodes are presented. The variation of the structural properties results in a more detailed picture of the tunneling process in these diodes, which allows further improvement of the relevant parameter. Special attention is paid to the peak current density (PCD) and the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of the devices. For an optimized structure with a 3-nm thick Si0.54Ge0.46 layer in the intrinsic zone a record PVCR of 6.0 at a PCD of approximately 1.5 kA/cm(2) was achieved. By reducing the layer thickness to 2.6 nm and simultaneously increasing the Ge content to 54%, the PCD increases to 30 kA/cm(2) at a high PVCR of 4.8. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.