The stability of the self‐consistently determined current of a double‐barrier resonant‐tunneling diode

Double‐barrier resonant‐tunneling devices belong to a novel class of nanoelectronic devices with great potential applications. In these devices, the self‐consistent buildup of charge due to resonant carriers in the well may lead to bistability and hysteresis. To investigate aspects of dynamical (in)stability, a simple set of equations is derived from an extension of the static theory. These dynamic equations adequately describe small and slow (<100 GHz) deviations from the stationary state. This approach is viewed more as being more satisfactory than an equivalent‐circuit analysis, but its limitations are also discussed.