Magneto-transport physics in superlattices with staggered-bandgap structure

Physical models are presented to describe magneto-transports within double-barrier structure with staggered-band lineups. Here, a special case, where the magnetic field is perpendicular to the heterolayers, is considered and the conduction-band electron current is calculated. In addition, the spatial charge transfer due to the heavyhole (HH) interband tunneling is also studied. The interband tunneling probability is related to the Landau index number, which characterizes the quantization of in-plane electron motions. As a consequence, the inversion of hole populations between Landau levels is shown to occur which is a new phenomenon that has relevance for millimeterwave amplification.