Study of the diffusion processes impact on the resonant-tunneling diodes active area layers’ chemical composition

The influence of diffusion processes occurring in spacer layers, active region layers and reservoirs of the resonant-tunneling diodes’ heterostructure on the dopant concentration in the near-contact regions and the active region layers’ and spacers’ heterojunctions blurring is investigated. The previously developed mathematical model of resonant tunneling diodes is extended with relations allowing to simulate indium diffusion from the spacer layers into the barrier layers and near-contact regions. The dopant’s penetration depth into the spacer layers, as well as aluminum from the barrier layers into the well and spacer layers, is estimated, based on which recommendations are developed for the minimum thickness of the spacer layers. It is shown that diffusion processes occurring in the heterostructure of diodes at the operation stage do not affect the dopant concentration profile in the near-contact regions and do not change the profile of the conduction band bottom of the active region of the diode.