Mi. Stockman et al., POSSIBILITY OF INTRINSIC OPTICAL (FAR-IR) BISTABILITY IN AN ASYMMETRIC DOUBLE-QUANTUM-WELL, Physics letters. A, 179(6), 1993, pp. 423-428
A new type of optical bistability in a double quantum well is predicte
d. This is a pure intrinsic bistability which is not accompanied by an
y dc current in an external circuit and requires no source of electric
energy. The effect is based on counterfield electron transfer and is
driven and controlled by far-IR radiation resonant to an intersubband
transition. Bistable switching and hysteresis can be monitored either
electrically or optically. Theory shows the effect to be readily obser
vable