Impact of optical phonon scattering on magnetotransport in double-barrier heterostructures

The transport in double-barrier heterostructures of electrons interacting with longitudinal optical phonons in the presence of parallel electric and magnetic fields is analyzed theoretically with the aid of a 3-dimensional quantum transport simulator. Inter Landau state transitions induced by LO-phonon scattering-assisted resonant-tunneling is shown to be an important process with a probability comparable to that of intra Landau state scattering. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics reveals also that the current peak is a periodic function of the inverse of the magnetic field, with a period dependent on the quasi-resonant energy level.