Characterisation of degradation mechanisms in resonant tunnelling diodes

By applying high voltage transmission line pulses and elevated temperatures we stressed resonant tunnelling diodes (RTD). The influence of the stress on the electrical characteristics of these devices is shown and the possible degradation mechanisms are identified. Various RTDs from different semiconductor systems (arsenides and antimonides) have been fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy. We report the influence of the growth temperatures of these RTDs on the device degradation.