Abstract
We investigate electronic tunneling properties through hybrid magnetic-electric barriers under the influence of an external electric field. Two magnetic barrier configurations are analyzed: a single and a double delta (δ) function inhomogeneous magnetic field. The studies indicate that hybrid magnetic-electric barrier structures possess not only global features of both pure magnetic barriers and pure electric barriers but also some peculiar tunneling features. It is shown that there exist distinctive discrepancies in the transmission and the current density for electron traversing different magnetic configurations. To some extent, the transport behavior of the double δ-function configuration is similar to that of a square electric barrier while the single δ-function one resembles an electric step barrier. In addition, for electron tunneling through a hybrid magnetic-electric barrier with a single δ-function magnetic barrier, transmission resonances can be significantly enhanced by an external electric field, which results in distinctive negative-differential resistances with large peak-to-valley ratios in the spectrum of the current density. The results imply that one can tailor tunneling properties in hybrid magnetic-electric barriers by means of adjusting the distribution and the strength of the inhomogeneous magnetic field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 045312 |
| Pages (from-to) | 453121-453127 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 Jul 15 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics