The scattering processes inside the quantum well, which destroy the coherency of the wave function of the electron in a double‐barrier resonant tunneling structure, are modeled by an imaginary scattering potential. The reflection coefficient, which is nonzero for an asymmetric structure without the imaginary potential, becomes zero at the resonance energy of the structure having an imaginary potential of a particular magnitude. The dependence of this particular magnitude of the imaginary potential on the ratio of the thicknesses of the two barriers is examined. For a structure in which one of the barriers is infinitely wide, this particular magnitude of the imaginary potential is equal to the width of the resonance of the structure without the imaginary potential.