Abstract
We consider a superlattice of parallel metal tunnel junctions with a spatially nonhomogeneous probability for electrons to tunnel. In such structures tunneling can be accompanied by electron scattering that conserves energy but not momentum. In the special case of a tunneling probability that varies periodically with period a in the longitudinal direction, i.e., perpendicular to the junctions, electron tunneling is accompanied by umklapp scattering, where the longitudinal momentum changes by a multiple of h/a. We predict that as a result a sequence of metal-insulator transitions can be induced by an external electric or magnetic field as the field strength is increased.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 184202 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
| Volume | 85 |
| Issue number | 18 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 May 2012 |
Cite this
Kulinich, S. I., Gorelik, L. Y., Gredeskul, S. A., Shekhter, R. I., & Jonson, M. (2012). Umklapp-assisted electron transport oscillations in metal superlattices. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 85(18), [184202]. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.184202