Interaction between surface acoustic waves and resonant tunneling structures in GaAs

We report the observation of interaction between a 1 GHz surface acoustic wave and vertical electron beams in a specially designed GaAs resonant tunneling structure. The interaction relies on the vertical component of the surface acoustic wave’s electric field to trigger a current through the structure. A theoretical analysis is presented that reveals the importance of both the spatial distribution of the surface acoustic wave potential and the nonlocality of the structure’s conductivity on the operation of the device. Possible applications of this interaction for signal processing and powerful microwave devices are discussed.