POPULATION-INVERSION IN NARROW-GAP HETEROSTRUCTURES DUE TO THE INTERBAND TUNNELING

The process of interband tunneling in a heterostructure with a wide-ga p barrier between two layers of narrow-gap doped semiconductors is inv estigated. The tunneling probability, intraband and interband current components, and non-equilibrium carrier concentration are calculated u sing the transfer matrix method and a Dirac-like model for lead chalco genide-type heterostructures. It is shown that the generation of elect ron-hole pairs due to interband tunneling may produce a population inv ersion and laser generation in the near-barrier region. (C) 1996 Acade mic Press Limited