ELECTRON-INTERFACE PHONON SCATTERING IN ASYMMETRIC SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM WELL STRUCTURES

Electron-interface phonon scattering rates in asymmetric single quantum well and step quantum well structures are calculated by means of the interaction Fr?hlich-like Hamiltonian between an electron and interface optical phonons in a four-layer heterostructure given re-cently. The intrasubband and intersubband electron scattering rates are given as functions of quantum well width, step width and step height. We have found that the electron scattering depends strongly on the potential parameters and the usual selection rules for these tran-sitions are broken down in asymmetric heterostructures; the interface LO modes are more important than the interface TO modes for the electron-interface phonons scattering in het-erostructures; the intrasubband scattering rates are insensitive functions of step width and step height, and the intersubband scattering rates are complicated functions of step height and step width in step quantum wells. Moreover, we have also observed that the scattering rates for intrasubband and intersubband transitions have no obvious changes in the case that the first or second subband energy level crosses the step height in a step quantum well.     

Energy of a bound polaron in a magnetic field in asymmetric polar semiconductor heterostructures

In this paper, a new modified Hamiltonian of a polaron bound to a donor impurity in asymmetric step quantum wells (QWs) in the presence of an arbitrary magnetic field is given, in which the coupling of an electron with confined bulk-like LO phonons, half-space LO phonons and interface phonon modes is included. Especially, the interaction of the impurity with all possible optical-phonon modes is also considered. The ionization energy of a bound polaron in a magnetic field for asymmetric step QWs are studied by using a modified Lee-Low-Pines (LLP) variational method. The effects of the finite electronic confinement potential and the subband nonparabolicity are also considered. The relative importance of the donor impurity located at the well and the step is analyzed. Our results show the interaction between the impurity and the phonon field in screening the Coulomb interaction has a significant influence on the binding energy of bound polaron. The influence of subband non-parabolicity is appreciable on the bound polaron effects for the narrow well. The binding energy of bound polaron given in this paper are excellent agreement with the experimental measurement.     

The bound polaron in an electric field in polar semiconductor heterostructures

We have calculated the ionization energy of a bound polaron confined in general step quantum wells (QWs) in the presence of an electric field, in which the coupling of an electron with confined bulk-like LO phonons, half-space LO phonons and interface phonons is considered. In particular, the interaction of the impurity with the various phonon modes is also included in QWs. Results have been obtained as a function of the barrier height, the well width, the electric field intensities and the position coordinates of the impurity in the QWs. Our numerical calculations clearly show that the interaction between the impurity and the phonon field plays an important role in screening the Coulomb interaction. It is shown that the cumulative effect of the electron–phonon coupling and the impurity–phonon coupling can contribute appreciably to the donor ionization energy. Only for a certain range of well widths can we neglect all the polaronic effects.     

Electron-phonon scattering in asymmetric semiconductor quantum-well structures

We calculate scattering rates of intrasubband and intersubband electronic transitions in asymmetric single quantum wells (QW's) and step QW's due to interface phonons, confined bulk-like LO phonons, and half-space LO phonons. The relative importance of the different phonon modes is analyzed. The results show that the electron-phonon scattering rates have intimate relation to the QW parameters.     

Binding energy of a polaron in asymmetric polar semiconductor heterostructures

By using a modified Lee-Low-Pines variational method, we have investigated the ground-state binding energy of a polaron confined in asymmetric single and step quantum wells (QWs) due to interface phonons, confined bulk-like LO phonons, and half-space LO phonons. The relative importance of the different phonon modes is analysed in detail. Our results show that the asymmetry and the well width of the QWs have a significant influence on the polaron energy. The polaron binding energy has an intimate relation to the potential parameters of QWs. The subband nonparabolicity has a little influence to the polaron binding energy. Comparing with the results calculated with perturbation theory, a good agreement is found.     

Potentials induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well

The potential induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well (QW) is investigated by means of the perturbation theory. We consider the interactions of an electron with both bulklike confined longitudinal optical (LO) phonons and four branches of interface optical (IO) phonons. The spatial distributionV _i(z) of the induced potential for QW structures with different heterolayer compositions and different well widths is calculated in detail. The numerical results show that the heterolayer composition of the QW plays an important role in determining the shape ofV _i(z) and that the existence of IO-phonons is important to the electronic states in QWs.     

Energy and effective mass of a polaron in asymmetric semiconductor quantum well structures

In this paper, the correct electron extended states wave functions and the density of states in asymmetric single quantum wells (QWs) are given for the first time, we put right mistakes from some previous papers of some other authors. Within the framework of the secondorder perturbation theory, the ground-state polaron binding energy and effective mass correction in asymmetric single QWs are studied including the full energy specturm, i.e., the discrete energy levels in the well and the continuum energy spectrum above the barrier, and all possible optical-phonon modes. The effects of the finite electronic confinement potential and the subband nonparabolicity are considered. The relative importance of the different phonon modes is investigated. Our results show that the polaron energy and effective mass are sensitive to the asymmetry of the structure and have a close relation to the interface phonon dispersion. When well width and one side barrier height of asymmetric QWs are fixed and identical with those of symmetric QW, the polaron binding energy and effective mass in asymmetric QWs are always less than those in symmetric QW. It is necessary to include the continuum energy spectrum as intermediate states in the study of polaron effects in QWs in order to obtain the correct results. The subband non-parabolicity has little influence on the polaron effects. The polaron energies given in this paper are excellent agreement with our variational results.     

Potentials induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well

The potential induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well (QW) is investigated by means of the perturbation theory. We consider the interactions of an electron with both bulklike confined longitudinal optical (LO) phonons and four branches of interface optical (IO) phonons. The spatial distributionV _i(z) of the induced potential for QW structures with different heterolayer compositions and different well widths is calculated in detail. The numerical results show that the heterolayer composition of the QW plays an important role in determining the shape ofV _i(z) and that the existence of IO-phonons is important to the electronic states in QWs.     

Dispersions of quasi-confined optical phonon modes and their electron–phonon interactions in an asymmetric wurtzite AlxGa1−xN / GaN / Aly Ga1−yN quantum well

Within the framework of the dielectric continuum model and Loudon’s uniaxial crystal model, the properties of the quasi-confined (QC) optical phonon dispersions and the electron–QC phonons coupling functions in an asymmetric wurtzite quantum well (QW) are deduced via the method of electrostatic potential expanding. The present theoretical scheme can be treated as a generalization of the QC optical phonons in an ordinary wurtzite double heterostructures QWs, and it can be reduced naturally to the situation of the symmetrical wurtzite QW once a suite of symmetrical parameters are adopted. Numerical computation on an asymmetric AlN/ GaN/ Al_0.15Ga_0.85N wurtzite QW are performed, and a detailed comparison with the case in symmetric wurtzite QW is carried out. The calculated results show that the structural asymmetry of wurtzite QW changes greatly the dispersion behaviors and the electrostatic potential distributions of the QC optical phonon modes.     

Electron mobility for a model Al<Subscript>x</Subscript> Ga<Subscript>1-x</Subscript> As/GaAs heterojunction under pressure

A variational method and a memory function approach are adopted to investigate the electron mobility parallel to the interface for a model Al_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs heterojunction and its pressure effect by considering optical phonon modes (including both of the bulk longitudinal optical (LO) in the channel side and interface optical (IO) phonons). The influence of a realistic interface heterojunction potential with a finite barrier and conduction band bending are taken into account. The properties of electron mobility versus Al concentration, electronic density and pressure are given and discussed, respectively. The results show that the electron mobility increases with Al concentration and electronic density, whereas decreases with pressure from 0 to 40 kbar obviously. The Al concentration dependent and the electron density dependent contributions to the electron mobility from the scattering of IO phonons under pressure becomes more obvious. The variation of electron mobility with the Al concentration and electron density are dominated by the properties of IO and LO phonons, respectively. The effect of IO phonon modes can not be neglected especially for higher pressure and electronic density.     

Electron-phonon scattering in an asymmetric double barrier resonant tunneling structure

We calculate the electron-phonon scattering rate for an asymmetric double barrier resonant tunneling structure based on dielectric continuum theory, including all phonon modes, and show that interface phonons contribute much more to the scattering rate than do bulk-like LO phonons for incident energies which are approximately within an order of magnitude of the Fermi energy. The maximum scattering rate occurs for incident electron energies near the quantum well resonance. Subband nonparabolicity has a significant influence on electron-phonon scattering in these structures. We show that the relaxation time is comparable to the dwell time of electrons in the quantum well for a typical resonant tunneling structure. Received: 23 December 1997 / Revised: 24 March 1998 / Accepted: 9 March 1998     

Dual Space Analyzing Based on Symmetry Properties for Phonons fo Si Quantum Dot

Phonon modes in spherical Si quantum dots (QDs) with up to 7.9 nm in diameter are calculated by using the projection operators of the group theory into valence force field model. The phonons of dot modes in each of five irreducible representations (symmetries) are classified by using a dual space analysis method. It is found that the bulk-like modes with localization radius much smaller than the dot's radius have clearly pronounced bulk specific-k point parentage, T_λ(n, k_BZ, K_cut), from specific part of the Brillouin zone (BZ) (Γ-derived, X-derived etc.) and from definite bulk band (one in six modes). In Si dots of all sizes, each specific bulk-like dot mode has specific symmetry. The bulk TO(Γ)-like and the bulk LO(Γ)-like dot modes always have T₂ and A₁ symmetries, respectively. Except the bulk-A(Γ)-like dot modes of which the frequencies blue-shift as the dot size reducing, the bulk-like Γ-derived LO and TO dot modes and bulk-like X-derived TA and LA dot modes red-shift in frequency with decreasing dot size. There is almost not LO/TO mixing for bulk-like modes. As for the surface-like modes localized at the periphery of the dot, their eigenmodes have not a dominant bulk specific-k point parentage or a dominant BZ parentage around some special point. They are a superposition of many bulk bands with k from all over the bulk BZ. They have much significant mode mixing than the bulk-like phonons. The classification of dot modes based on the symmetry of group theory will bring advantageous to the discussion of Ramam spectrum, electron-phonon interaction and other phonon-assisted effects in QDs.     

Pressure effect on the electron mobility in AlAs/GaAs quantum wells

By taking the influence of optical phonon modes into account, this paper adopts the dielectric continuum phonon model and force balance equation to investigate the electronic mobility parallel to the interfaces for AlAs/GaAs semiconductor quantum wells (QWs) under hydrostatic pressure. The scattering from confined phonon modes, interface phonon modes and half-space phonon modes are analysed and the dominant scattering mechanisms in wide and narrow QWs are presented. The temperature dependence of the electronic mobility is also studied in the temperature range of optical phonon scattering being available. It is shown that the electronic mobility reduces obviously as pressure increases from 0 to 4GPa, the confined longitudinal optical (LO) phonon modes play an important role in wide QWs, whereas the interface optical phonon modes are dominant in narrow QWs, the half-space LO phonon modes hardly influence the electronic mobility expect for very narrow QWs.     

Interface phonons in asymmetric quantum well structures

In semiconductor microstructures with many layers, the phonon modes change from their bulk form and split into ‘confined LO phonons’ (LC) and ‘interface phonons’ (IF), the number and variety of which depends on both the number of layers and the number of different materials in the structure. This affects the electron–phonon scattering rates. Because of the current interest in inter-subband THz emitters, we use these LC and IF modes to evaluate the inter-subband electron–phonon scattering rate in THz emitter prototypes that are based on four-subband stepped quantum wells. These scattering rates in turn affect the population inversion predicted for these devices, so we compare the predicted population inversions for the most promising prototypes against those obtained using bulk phonon scattering rates.     

Propagating Optical Phonon Modes and Their Electron-Phonon Interaction Hamiltonians in Asymmetric Wurtzite Nitride Semiconductor Quantum Wells

Within the framework of the dielectric continuum model and Loudon's uniaxial crystal model, the properties of frequency dispersion of the propagating (PR) optical phonon modes and the coupling functions of electron-PR phonons interaction in an asymmetrical wurtzite quantum well (QW) are deduced and analyzed via the method of electrostatic potential expanding. Numerical calculation on an asymmetrical Al_0.25Ga_0.75 N/GaN/Al_0.15Ga_0.85N wurtzite QW were performed. The results reveal that there are infinite branches of PR phonon modes in the systems. The behaviors of frequency forbidden of PR modes in the asymmetric QWs have been clearly observed. The mathematical and physical origins for these features have been analyzed in depth. The PR optical phonon branches have been distinguished and labelled reasonably in terms of the oscillating properties of the PR modes in the well-layer material. Moreover, the amplitudes and frequency properties of the electron-PR modes coupling functions in the barrier and well materials have also been analyzed from both of the mathematical and physical viewpoints.     

GaAs/AlAs超晶格的近共振喇曼散射研究

本文介绍GaAs/AlAs超晶格的室温近共振喇曼散射测量结果。由于超晶格中Fr?hlich相互作用的共振增强效应,GaAs LO声子偶模的散射得到了很大的增强。和前人的结果一样,在偏振谱我们观察到了偶模。但和前人的结果不同,在退偏振谱中我们观察到的是奇模,而不是偶模。从而证明了在近共振条件下LO声子限制模仍遵从与非共振时一样的选择定则。二级喇曼散射实验结果表明,在偏振谱中二级谱是由两个偶模组合而成,而在退偏振谱中的二级谱与前人的结果不同,由一个奇模与一个偶模组合而成。上述结果与最近提出的黄朱模型的预言是一 关键词：     

Optical-phonon tunnelling and the electron scattering rate

Tunnelling of optical phonons across a quantum well is possible for a polar mode provided its frequency coincides with that of the two interface modes associated with the barrier. Because of this effect LO modes could scatter electrons in the well. In this paper we report a calculation of the total scattering rate caused by modes in the LO branch of the barrier material as a function of well width. We show that the form of the well-width dependence and the magnitude of the scattering rate is, to an excellent approximation, the same as that predicted by the dielectric continuum (DC) model, in which the scattering is caused by barrier interface modes obeying only electrical boundary conditions. This result provides, for the first time, justification for using Fuchs–Kliewer-like interface modes, even though these do not satisfy the necessary mechanical boundary conditions at the interfaces. It completes a study of the applicability of the DC model to the calculation of the scattering rates in a quantum well, a study that has already shown it to give a good agreement with the results of the hybrid model as regards the effects of modes in the well are concerned [12]. Our conclusion is that provided that the frequency-dependence of the coupling strength of the interface modes is correctly described, differences in detail concerning the effect of individual modes in the two models are unimportant for the total sum.     

Dual Space Analyzing Based on Symmetry Properties for Phonons of Si Quantum Dot

Phonon modes in spherical Si quantum dots (QDs) with up to 7.9 nm in diameter are calculated by using the projection operators of the group theory into valence force field model. The phonons of dot modes in each of five irreducible representations (symmetries) are classified by using a dual space analysis method. It is found that the bulk-like modes with localization radius much smaller than the dot‘s radius have clearly pronounced bulk specific-κdefinite bulk band (one in six modes). In Si dots of all sizes, each specific bulk-like dot mode has specific symmetry.TO dot modes and bulk-like X-derived TA and LA dot modes red-shift in frequency with decreasing dot size. There is almost not LO/TO mixing for bulk-like modes. As for the surface-like modes localized at the periphery of the dot,their eigenmodes have not a dominant bulk specific-κ point parentage or a dominant BZ parentage around some special point. They are a superposition of many bulk bands with κ from all over the bulk BZ. They have much significant mode mixing than the bulk-like phonons. The classification of dot modes based on the symmetry of group theory will bring advantageous to the discussion of Ramam spectrum, electron-phonon interaction and other phonon-assisted effects in QDs.     

晶格热振动对准二维强耦合极化子有效质量的影响

采用Tokuda改变的线性组合算符法和改进的LLP变分法，研究了晶格热振动对无限势垒量子阱中电子与界面光学声子强耦合、与体纵光学声子弱耦合系统的影响，推导出作为阱宽和温度函数的极化子有效质量的表达式. 尤其得到了量子阱中极化子的振动频率及其随阱宽和温度变化的规律. 对KI/AgCl/KI量子阱进行了数值计算，结果表明，极化子的振动频率和有效质量随阱宽的增加而减小、随温度的升高而减小，但不同支声子与电子相互作用对极化子的振动频率和有效质量的贡献以及它们随阱宽和温度的变化情况大不相同. 关键词： 量子阱 强耦合极化子 振动频率 有效质量 温度依赖性     

半导体超晶格的多声子拉曼散射研究

半导体超晶格的多声子拉曼散射研究／张树霖，杨昌黎，侯勇田（北京大学物理系北京１００８７１）彭中灵，李杰，袁诗鑫（中科院上海技物所上海２０００８３）Ｒ．Ｐｌａｎｅｌ（ＭｉｃｒｏｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｓａｎｄＭｉｃｒｏｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｉｃｓＬａｂｏｒａｔｏｒ...