Mesopiezoresistive effects in double-barrier resonant tunneling structures

This letter reports a mesopiezoresistive effect in a double-barrier resonant tunneling DBRT structure. In a DBRT system, an external mechanical stress causes a tensile strain, and the strain, in turn, affects the resonant tunneling and thereby the resistance. Theoretical analysis was carried out on an AlAs /GaAs /AlAs DBRT structure under in-plane uniaxial tensile stresses. The results show that the tunneling current and resistance of a DBRT structure change significantly with external stress-induced tensile strains. The results also show that the resistance-strain response can be tuned effectively by the external voltage. The effect has potential applications in miniature electromechanical devices. © 2008 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2839316