Interaction between surface acoustic waves and resonant tunneling structures in GaAs

We report the observation of interaction between a 1 GHz surface acoustic w ave and vertical electron beams in a specially designed GaAs resonant tunne ling structure. The interaction relies on the vertical component of the sur face acoustic wave's electric field to trigger a current through the struct ure. A theoretical analysis is presented that reveals the importance of bot h the spatial distribution of the surface acoustic wave potential and the n onlocality of the structure's conductivity on the operation of the device. Possible applications of this interaction for signal processing and powerfu l microwave devices are discussed. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)08017-2].