Dynamics of electron currents in nanojunctions with time-varying components and interactions

Issue Date

8-2017

Abstract

We study the dynamics of the electron current in nanodevices where there are time-varying components and interactions. These devices are a nanojunction attached to heat baths and with dynamical electron-phonon interactions, and a nanojunction with photon beams incident and reflected at the channel. We use the two-time nonequilibrium Green's functions technique to calculate the time-dependent electron current flowing across the devices. We find that whenever a sudden change occurs in the device, the current takes time to react to the abrupt change, overshoots, oscillates, and eventually settles down to a steady value. With dynamical electron-phonon interactions, the interaction gives rise to a net resistance that reduces the flow of current across the device when a source-drain bias potential is attached. In the presence of dynamical electron-photon interactions, the photons drive the electrons to flow. The direction of flow, however, depends on the frequencies of the incident photons. Furthermore, the direction of electron flow in one lead is exactly opposite to the direction of flow in the other lead thereby resulting in no net change in current flowing across the device.

Source or Periodical Title

AIP Conference Proceedings

ISSN

0094243X

Volume

1871

Issue

1

Page

030003-1 - 030003-7

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustrations, graphs

Language

Emglish

Identifier

DOI:10.1063/1.4996522

Digital Copy

yes

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS