Capacitance studies of charge redistribution between Γ and X states in a GaAs/AlAs double barrier structure at high pressure

Capacitance measurements as a function of bias provide evidence for the redistribution of electrons above the pressure induced type I to type II transition in a 43, 72, and 40 Å AlAs/GaAs double barrier structure (DBS). Measurements at 77 K for pressures up to 16 kbar allow the identification of low and high pressure regimes. In the low pressure regime the DBS exhibits a capacitance whose characteristic length includes both the barriers and the well, and any surrounding depletion regions. In the high pressure regime, the behavior is like that of a "quantum capacitor," with plates only ∼70 Å apart. This causes a marked increase in the zero bias capacitance, which is explained by electron transfer to the X wells in the AlAs regions. The subsequent variation of the capacitance with bias is consistent with a band bending model introduced previously, in which the Fermi level is pinned to the lowest X level in each well at low bias, but where the collector well is eventually depleted at larger bias.