Electronic thermal conductivity in suspended and supported bilayer graphene

Electronic thermal conductivity κ_e is investigated, using Boltzmann transport equation approach, in a suspended and supported bilayer graphene (BLG) as a function of temperature and electron concentration. The electron scattering due to screened charged impurity, short-range disorder and acoustic phonon via deformation potential are considered for both suspended and supported BLG. Additionally, scattering due to surface polar phonons, is considered in supported BLG. In suspended BLG, calculated κ_e is compared with the experimental data leaving the phonon thermal conductivity. It is emphasized that κ_e is important in samples with very high electron concentration and reduced phonon thermal conductivity. κ_e is found to be about two times smaller in supported BLG compared to that in suspended BLG. With the reduced extrinsic disorders, in principle, the intrinsic scattering by acoustic phonons can set a fundamental limit on possible intrinsic κ_e.     

IR optical absorption and reflection spectra in narrow gap semiconductors

Light transmission T(λ) and reflection R(λ) spectra were measured for the crystals Cd_xHg_1−xTe (x = 0.26). InSb and Mn_xHg_1−xTe (x = 0.12) with low impurity content at T = 300 K in the wavelength range 2.5 μm ⩽ λ ⩽40 μm. From the measured T(λ) and R(λ) data a dependence of the absorption coefficient x(λ) for the free-carriers light absorption (FCLA) was derived, which is caused by the intrabund electron and hole transitions and the intcrband transitions of the heavy holes from the band V₁ to the band V₂ of the light holes: x(λ) = x_intraband(λ) + x_interband(λ).It is concluded from the quantum mechanical approach that the intraband FCLA is directly related with the carriers scattering mechanisms. Calculations of x_intraband(λ) within the framework of this approach demonstrated that under room temperature the major contribution was from the scattering by polar optical phonons. In the case of less perfect Mn_xHg_1−xTe however, one should take into account the scattering by the short-range potentials of the defects.     

Free carrier absorption in quantizing magnetic fields: Nonpolar optical phonon scattering

A quantum theory of free carrier absorption in nondegenerate semiconductors and in strong magnetic fields which was previously developed to treat the case when acoustic phonon scattering dominates the free carrier absorption process [1] is extended to treat the case when nonpolar optical scattering is important. When the electromagnetic radiation field is polarized parallel to the direction of the applied magnetic field, results are obtained which are similar to those when acoustic phonon scattering is dominant. The free carrier absorption is an oscillatory function of the magnetic field which on the average increases in magnitude with the magnetic field. However, more structure in the free carrier absorption occurs when nonpolar optical phonon scattering dominates. This is due to the fact that there are two periods in the oscillatory magnetic field dependence associated with the emission or the absorption of optical phonons during the intraband transitions. When the cyclotron frequency exceeds the sum of the photon and optical phonon frequencies, i.e. ω_c > θ + ω_o, the free carrier absorption is predicted to increase linearly with magnetic field when ?ω_c? k_BT. The magnetic field dependence of the free carrier absorption can be explained in terms of phonon-assisted transitions between the various Landau levels in a band involving the emission and absorption of optical phonons.     

Electron mobility and electron scattering in CdxHg1−xSe mixed crystals

We report a detailed study, both experimental and theoretical, of electron mobility and Hall coefficient in small-gap Cd_xHg_1?xSe mixed crystals. The electron mobility is calculated by the variational technique. The results obtained with no adjustable parameter are within 15% of the experimental values in the range of temperature 4.2–300 K, electron concentrations 7 × 10¹⁶?5 × 10¹⁸cm^?3 and composition 0 < x ? 0.25.The scattering of electrons by charged centres, optical phonons (polar and nonpolar interaction), acoustic phonons as well as disorder (alloy) scattering is taken into account. It is shown that the composition-dependent dielectric function and the band edge symmetry play an important role in the explanation of the experimental results.     

Electronic thermal conduction in suspended graphene

The electronic thermal conductivity (ETC), κ_e, of suspended graphene (SG) is studied for 15<T<400 K, following the Boltzmann transport formalism. The electrons are considered to be scattered from defects along with the intrinsic in-plane acoustic phonons, out-of-plane flexural phonons (FPs) and optical phonons. The ETC is evaluated by computing the first-order perturbation distribution function by directly solving the linearized Boltzmann equation by an iterative method. Numerical calculations of the temperature and concentration dependences of κ_e show the dominance of charged impurity scattering at lower temperatures (T<75 K) and of FPs at higher temperatures. The results are compared with the commonly used low-temperature and high-energy relaxation time approximations. Our calculations are in good agreement with recent κ_e data extracted for high-mobility SG samples. The validity of Wiedemann–Franz law is also discussed.     

Disorder-induced Raman scattering of In1−xGaxP in the transverse acoustic phonon region

Raman scattering measurements have been performed on In_1?xGa_xP (0.62?x?1) over the entire frequency range of first and second order scattering. Besides the already known disorder activated band between the LO(Γ) and TO(Γ) modes a new disorder activated band is found in the region of transverse acoustic phonons around 87 cm^-1. The position of the new band shifts only slightly with composition while its strength and line-shape change.     

Hot electron drift velocity in Hg1−xCdxTe (x=0.205)

Hot electron drift velocity in Hg_1?xCd_xTe (x=0.205) at 77 K is calculated by the Monte Carlo technique. Band nonparabolicity, admixture of wave functions, and two-mode nature of the polar optic phonons are included in addition to the effects of deformation potential acoustic, alloy and ionized impurity scattering. Good agreement with the experimental data is achieved.     

Wärmewiderstand durch Spinwellen —Spinwellenstreuung in einem Ferromagnetikum

The heat conduction by spin waves is obtained using the Boltzmann equation and considering only magnon-magnon scattering. In contrast to the case of phonons with a linear energy-momentum relationship, Umklapp processes need not be considered to obtain a non-vanishing collision-term in the Boltzmann equation for magnons. In a spin system with a Hamiltonian consisting of exchange and anisotropy energies the temperature dependence of the thermal resistivity isa+bT ^3/2 within the spin wave approximation.     

Resonant Raman scattering in nanostructures with InGaAs/AlAs quantum dots

Raman scattering by optical phonons in In_xGa_{1 ? x} As/AlAs nanostructures with quantum dots has been studied experimentally for compositions corresponding to x = 0.3?1 under out-resonance conditions. Features due to scattering by GaAs-and InAs-like optical phonons in quantum dots have been detected, and the phonon frequencies have been determined as a function of the dot composition. With increasing excitation energy, a red shift is observed in the frequency of the GaAs-like phonon in quantum dots, which testifies to Raman scattering selective by the size of quantum dots. Under resonant conditions, multiphonon light scattering by optical and interface phonons is observed up to the third order, including overtones of the first-order phonons of InGaAs and AlAs materials and their combinations.     

The isothermal local resistivity and its connection to different theories

The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the theory of the isothermal local resistivity in the sense of linear response. Different methods, as the Langevin equation, the non-equilibrium density operator technique and the linear response theory of conduction, have been related with each other to clear up different ambiguities in the literature.The first two sections are devoted to introduce the hydrodynamic and linear response equations for the electron gas in a medium of scattering mechanisms (phonons, impurities, etc.). The inversion of the conductivity formula into the isothermal local resistivity is performed with help of a generalized Langevin equation in the isothermal limit (lim_{q → 0} lim_{ω → 0}A_qω). This result agrees with that of the non-equilibrium operator technique. Then the many-variable projection technique of Mori is used to establish the relations between microscopic theory of electrical conduction and the hydrodynamic equations. The relaxation matrix formulation of Fermi-liquid in a metal can describe sound wave propagation in the Fermi-liquid which corresponds to charge density waves. Further, the relation between the isothermal local resistivity and Köhler's variation principle is established for electron-phonon system on a general way, which allows one to make contact with the Boltzmann equation.In the one-electron approximation the isothermal local resistivity is discussed in terms of phase shifts of non-overlapping scatterers. The result is valid for a dense system of resonant scatterers.     

Das Fluktuationsspektrum von Elektronen in einem stationären Nichtgleichgewichtszustand

The Boltzmann equation is used to calculate the time correlation function and the fluctuation spectrum for electrons obeying classical statistics. The stationary joint distribution for one electron to be initially ink ₀=k(0) and finally ink=k(t) is given by the product of the conditional probability and the stationary distribution. These quantities can be found from the Boltzmann equation if there exists, for any initial distribution, a unique solution which satisfies the Markov equation and tends to a stationary solution for large times under stationary conditions. It is proved that these conditions hold for linear collision operators and in the relaxation approximation. General operator expressions for the fluctuation spectrum and the differential conductivity in a stationary electric field are given, which can be evaluated within the usual approximation schemes known for the stationary, nonequilibrium solutions of the Boltzmann equation. In equilibrium they reproduce the classical fluctuation dissipation theorem. In a nonequilibrium state they define a noise temperature depending on the field. In the relaxation approximation and for polynomial band structure the exact solution can be found. For parabolic and biparabolic spherical bands the result is discussed explicitly.     

Spin-flip Raman laser at magnetic fields up to 14 T

We extended the range of operation of the CO₂ laser pumped spin-flip Raman laser in n-InSb up to magnetic fields of 14 T. The laser at high fields is strongly influenced by optical phonons which interact resonantly with the electron spin system, and by intraband absorption of the Raman scattered light in the scattering medium.     

The band structure and electronic properties of sulphur nitride polymer

A semiempirical calculation of the energy band structure of (SN)_x has been made on a tight-binding model with three p orbitals per atom. An important feature is that the Fermi level crosses two overlapping conduction bands. Measurements are reported of the optical transmission spectrum between 0.2 and 4.0 eV in thin films, the free carrier reflectivity in thick films, and the hydrostatic pressure dependence of the conductivity to 15 kbar. The calculated band structure accounts for experimental results connected with interband transitions (optical absorption) and intraband effects (metallic conductivity, reflectivity, specific heat).     

About some transport phenomena in Pb1−xCdxS solid solutions

The paper presents some experimental data concerning Hall effect, Seebeck effect and electrical conductivity in bulk samples of Pb_1?xCd_xS solid solutions, in the temperature range 100–360 K. The results are discussed employing a theoretical model with isotropic isoenergetic surfaces and nonpuadratic dispersion law. At x = 0.06 the dominant mechanism for scattering the charge carriers involves optical phonons below Debye temperature and the state density effective mass is not essentially changed relative to pure lead sulphide.     

Sub-picosecond Raman spectroscopy and dynamics of nonequilibrium electrons and phonons in semiconductors

Recent progress made in the use of time-resolved pump-probe Raman scattering technique to study the dynamics of photo-excited nonequilibrium carriers and LO-phonons in III–V semiconductors up to the sub-picosecond time scale will be discussed. It will be shown how this technique has allowed direct time-domain measurements of electron-LO-phonon scattering times for “hot” carriers and lifetimes for “hot” LO-phonons in semiconductors like GaAs. The presentation will include new experimental results of Kash, Jha and Tsang on picosecond Raman studies of the Fröhlich interaction in alloys like Al _x Ga _1?x As and In _x Ga _1?x As. The present theoretical understanding of the dynamics of the highly excited carriers, dominated by strong LO-phonon emission, will be examined along with the discussion of a recent calculation of transient electrical conductivity of such hot carriers, showing extremely interesting oscillations with respect to the pump laser frequency, on the scale of the long wavelength LO-phonon frequency, and a highly nonlinear behaviour as a function of time.     

Thermal conductivity of La0.67(CaxSr1−x)0.33MnO3 (x=0, 0.5, 1) and La0.6Y0.07Ca0.33MnO3 pellets between 10 and 300 K

Thermal conductivity (λ) of nanocrystalline La_0.67(Ca_xSr_1−x)_0.33MnO₃ (x=0, 0.5, 1) and La_0.6Y_0.07Ca_0.33MnO₃ pellets prepared by a novel ‘pyrophoric’ method have been studied between the temperature range 10 and 300 K. Our data show that the magnitude of thermal conductivity is strongly influenced by the ion substitutions at La-site. The analysis of the thermal conductivity data indicates that the thermal transport is governed largely by phonons scattering in these systems and the electronic contribution is as small as 0.2-1% of total thermal conductivity (λ_total). At low temperatures (<90 K) 2D like lattice defects contribute to the phonon scattering dominantly and its strength increases with increasing Sr content and also with partial substitution of La by Y. Depending upon the composition of the samples, the magnon thermal conductivity contributes 2-15% of λ_total close to T_C. In the paramagnetic regime the unusual increase in λ_total keeps signature of large dynamic lattice distortion.     

Effect of surface roughness on thermal conductivity of VLS-grown rough Si<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ge<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> nanowires

The recent demonstration of thermal conductivity of rough electrolessly etched Si nanowire (Hochbaum et al., Nature, 451:163, 2008) attracted a lot of interest, because it could not be explained by the existing theory; thermal conductivity of rough Si nanowires falls below the boundary scattering of the thermal conductivity. However, nanoscale pores presented in the nanowires (Hochbaum et al., Nano Letters, 9:3550–3554, 2009) hinder one to be fully convinced that the surface roughness solely made a contribution to the significant reduction in thermal conductivity. In this study, we synthesized vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) grown rough Si_1−x Ge _x nanowire and measured and theoretically simulated thermal conductivity of the nanowire. The thermal conductivity of rough Si_0.96Ge_0.04 nanowire is an order of magnitude lower than that of bulk Si_0.96Ge_0.04 and around a factor of four times lower than that of smooth Si_0.96Ge_0.04 nanowire. This significant reduction could be explained by the fact that the surface roughness scatters medium-wavelength phonons, whereas the long-wavelength phonons are scattered by phonon boundary scattering, and the short-wavelength phonons are scattered by alloy scattering.     

Relaxation of the normal electrical resistivity induced by high-pressure in strongly underdoped YBa2Cu3O7–δ single crystals

We investigate the relaxation of the normal electrical resistivity, induced by high-pressure in YBa₂Cu₃O_6.45 single crystals. It is determined that the pressure affects to the phase composition of the sample. Under pressure phases with different (but similar) critical temperatures form. It is determined that the application-removal pressure process is completely reversible. Above T_c the temperature dependence of the resistivity in the layers' plane at different hydrostatic pressures can be approximated with high accuracy with the scattering of electrons by phonons model. With increasing pressure, the residual resistance is reduced and the contribution of intraband s–s scattering increases. Additionally, the role of the interband s–d scattering and the Debye temperature is enhanced.     

Theory of resonant forbidden Raman scattering in semiconductors

The Raman tensors for the electric field-induced and wavevector dependent scattering from LO phonons in semiconductors have been calculated near critical points using a perturbation treatment. The resulting expressions have analytic closed forms such that the dependence of the forbidden scattering intensity on the incident photon energy and the applied d.c. electric field can be evaluated from available energy band parameters. The forbidden LO scattering intensity of GaAs in the back scattering configuration has been numerically calculated near the e₁ and E₁ gaps as functions of the incident photon energy and the dc electric field. The result shows strong interference between the two scattering processes. The allowed TO and LO Raman scattering intensities of GaAs were also calculated at a wavelength of 1.06 μm from the SHG and Faust-Henry coefficients, and compared with the forbidden LO intensity.