Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026

High-resolution Thermal Micro-imaging Using Europium Chelate Luminescent Coatings
Published on: April 16, 2017
Absolute negative conductivity and spontaneous current generation in semiconductor superlattices with hot electrons
1Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Abstract:
We study transport through a semiconductor superlattice with an electric field parallel to and a magnetic field perpendicular to the growth axis. Using a semiclassical balance equation model with elastic and inelastic scattering, we find that (1) the current-voltage characteristic becomes multistable in a large magnetic field and (2) "hot" electrons display novel features in their current-voltage characteristics, including absolute negative conductivity and a spontaneous dc current at zero bias. We discuss experimental situations providing hot electrons to observe these effects.
Related Concept Videos
Superconductor
Types Of Superconductors
Semiconductors
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Types of Semiconductors
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...

