Theoretical assessment of electronic transport in InN

Among the group-III nitrides, InN displays markedly unusual electronic transport characteristics due to its smaller effective mass, high peak velocity and high background electron concentration. First, a non-local empirical pseudopotential band structure of InN is obtained in the light of recent experimental and first-principles results. This is utilized within an ensemble Monte Carlo framework to illuminate the interesting transport properties. It is observed that InN has a peak velocity which is about 75% higher than that of GaN while at higher fields its saturation velocity is lower than that of GaN. Because of the strongly degenerate regime brought about by the high background electron concentration, the electron–electron interaction is also investigated, but its effect on the steady-state and transient velocity–field characteristics is shown to be negligible. Finally, hot phonon generation due to excessive polar optical phonon production in the electron scattering and relaxation processes is accounted for. The main findings are the appreciable reduction in the saturation drift velocity and the slower recovery from the velocity overshoot regime. The time evolution of the hot phonon distribution is analysed in detail and it is observed to be extremely anisotropic, predominantly along the electric force direction.     

SiC电子输运特性的Monte Carlo数值模拟

利用系综MonteCarlo法研究了2H ,4H和6HSiC的电子输运特性.在模拟中考虑了对其输运过程有着重要影响的声学声子形变势散射、极化光学声子散射、谷间声子散射、电离杂质散射以及中性杂质散射.通过计算,获得了低场下这几种不同SiC多型电子迁移率同温度的关系,并以4H SiC为例,重点分析了中性杂质散射的影响.最后对高场下电子漂移速度的稳态和瞬态变化规律进行了研究.将模拟结果同已有的实验数据进行了比较,发现当阶跃电场强度为10×106V·cm-1时,4H Sic电子横向瞬态速度峰值接近33×107cm·s^-1,6H Sic接近30×107cm·s^-1.     

Electron transport in wurtzite InN

Using ensemble Monte Carlo simulation technique, we have calculated the transport properties of InN such as the drift velocity, the drift mobility, the average electron, energy relaxation times and momentum relaxation times at high electric field. The scattering mechanisms included scattering mechanisms are polar optical phonon, ionized impurity, acoustic phonon and intervalley phonon. It is found that the maximum peak velocity only occurs when the electric field is increased to a value above a certain critical field. This critical field is strongly dependent on InN parameters. The steady-state transport parameters are in fair agreement with other recent calculations.     

Phonon Band Filling and Photon Emission by Phonons

Phonon generation by electrons is supplied in n-type Si crystals in electric fields E100 kV/cm at the lattice temperature of 80 K employing the ensemble Monte Carlo technique. Electron transfer between equivalent energy valleys is accounted for the g-type- and f-type phonon absorption and emission. Acoustic phonons are accounted for the quasi-elastic scattering of electrons within the energy valleys. Excess phonon number is determined using numerical data on phonon generation rate and experimental values of phonon lifetimes. The feasibility of stimulated emission of infrared-range photons due to direct optical transitions between the phonon bands is discussed.     

Coherent single-cycle pulses with MV/cm field strengths from a relativistic transition radiation light source

Terahertz (THz) pulses with energies up to 100 μJ and corresponding electric fields up to 1 MV/cm were generated by coherent transition radiation from 500 MeV electron bunches at the free-electron laser Freie-Elektronen-Laser in Hamburg (FLASH). The pulses were characterized in the time domain by electro-optical sampling by a synchronized femtosecond laser with jitter of less than 100 fs. High THz field strengths and quality of synchronization with an optical laser will enable observation of nonlinear THz phenomena.     

Quantum transport equation for electric and magnetic fields

A quantum Boltzmann equation is derived which is valid for electron transport in electric and magnetic fields including all many-body effects. A solution in both d.c. and a.c. electric fields is given for electrons in simple metals. The solution for transport in large magnetic fields is also given including a theory of the Shubnikov-deHaas oscillations which includes inelastic phonon scattering rigorously.     

Behavior of prebreakdown emission centers with 200-kv 100-ns pulses applied to a vacuum gap

Using an electron-transparent anode (titanium foil), the behavior of prebreakdown emission centers on a cathode made of 12X18H10T stainless steel is studied for the case of vacuum gap excitation by 100-ns-wide voltage pulses with an amplitude of 200 kV. To raise the working electric field to 1 MV/cm or higher, the electrodes are preprocessed by a low-energy high-current electron beam in the surface melting mode. It is found that prebreakdown emission centers may be stable and unstable. The stable ones arise at an electric field strength of 0.4?C0.6 MV/cm, and their activity grows with voltage up to breakdown. As the electric field increases, new unstable emission centers occur at sites other than those observed at the previous voltage pulse. Reasons for the appearance of unstable emission centers are discussed.     

Investigation of hot electrons and hot phonons generated within an AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistor

We review our recent results obtained on an AlN/GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistor. The temperature of the electrons drifting under a relatively-high electric field is significantly higher than the lattice temperature (i.e., the hot electrons are generated). These hot electrons are produced through the Fröhlich interaction between the drifting electrons and long-lived longitudinal-optical phonons. By fitting electric field vs. electron temperature deduced from the measurements of photoluminescence spectra to a theoretical model, we have deduced the longitudinal-optical-phonon emission time for each electron is to be on the order of 100 fs. We have also measured the decay time constant for LO phonons to be about 4.2 ps. An electric field present in a GaN/AlN heterostructure can bring both the first-order and second-order Raman scattering processes into strong resonances. The resonant Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman scattering results in the increase and decrease of non-equilibrium longitudinal-optical phonon temperatures, respectively. Moreover, the phonon temperature measured from the Raman scattering is increased with an applied electric field at a much higher rate than the lattice temperature due to the presence of field-induced non-equilibrium longitudinal-optical phonons.     

Negative differential conductance and hot phonons in suspended nanotube molecular wires

Freely suspended metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibit reduced current carrying ability compared to those lying on substrates, and striking negative differential conductance at low electric fields. Theoretical analysis reveals significant self-heating effects including electron scattering by hot nonequilibrium optical phonons. Electron transport characteristics under strong self-heating are exploited for the first time to probe the thermal conductivity of individual SWNTs (approximately 3600 W m-1 K-1 at T=300 K) up to approximately 700 K, and reveal a 1/T dependence expected for umklapp phonon scattering at high temperatures.     

6H-SiC高场输运特性的多粒子蒙特卡罗研究

采用非抛物性能带模型,对6H-SiC高场电子输运特性进行了多粒子蒙特卡罗(Ensemble Monte Carlo)研究.研究表明：温度为296 K时,电子横向漂移速度在电场为2.0×104 V/cm处偏离线性区,5.0×105 V/cm处达到饱和.由EMC方法得到的电子横向饱和漂移速度为1.95×107 cm/s,纵向为6.0×106 cm/s,各向异性较为显著.当电场小于1.0×106 V/cm时,碰撞电离效应对高场电子漂移速度影响较小.另一方面,高场下电子平均能量的各向异性非常明显.电场大于2.0×105 V/cm时,极化光学声子散射对电子横向能量驰豫时间影响较大.当电场一定时,c轴方向的电子碰撞电离率随着温度的上升而增大.对非稳态高场输运特性的分析表明：阶跃电场强度为1.0×106 V/cm时,电子横向瞬态速度峰值接近3.0×107 cm/s,反应时间仅为百分之几皮秒量级.     

Electrical breakdown and high-energy electron emission under dielectric charging

A Monte-Carlo calculation model for electron transport in crystalline dielectrics charged by irradiation is improved with allowance for impact ionization and cascading processes. The electron transport in SiO ₂ is simulated for high-strength electric fields. It is found that a breakdown in a dielectric can occur in the electric field strength range 11.5–12.5 MV/cm. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 52–58, March, 2008.     

High-field quasiballistic transport in short carbon nanotubes

Single walled carbon nanotubes with Pd Ohmic contacts and lengths ranging from several microns down to 10 nm are investigated by electron transport experiments and theory. The mean-free path (MFP) for acoustic phonon scattering is estimated to be l(ap) approximately 300 nm, and that for optical phonon scattering is l(op) approximately 15 nm. Transport through very short (approximately 10 nm) nanotubes is free of significant acoustic and optical phonon scattering and thus ballistic and quasiballistic at the low- and high-bias voltage limits, respectively. High currents of up to 70 microA can flow through a short nanotube. Possible mechanisms for the eventual electrical breakdown of short nanotubes at high fields are discussed. The results presented here have important implications to high performance nanotube transistors and interconnects.     

Silicon nanoparticle charge trapping memory cell

A charge trapping memory with 2 nm silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) is demonstrated. A zinc oxide (ZnO) active layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), preceded by Al₂O₃ which acts as the gate, blocking and tunneling oxide. Spin coating technique is used to deposit Si NPs across the sample between Al₂O₃ steps. The Si nanoparticle memory exhibits a threshold voltage (V_t) shift of 2.9 V at a negative programming voltage of –10 V indicating that holes are emitted from channel to charge trapping layer. The negligible measured V_t shift without the nanoparticles and the good re‐ tention of charges (>10 years) with Si NPs confirm that the Si NPs act as deep energy states within the bandgap of the Al₂O₃ layer. In order to determine the mechanism for hole emission, we study the effect of the electric field across the tunnel oxide on the magnitude and trend of the V_t shift. The V_t shift is only achieved at electric fields above 1 MV/cm. This high field indicates that tunneling is the main mechanism. More specifically, phonon‐assisted tunneling (PAT) dominates at electric fields between 1.2 MV/cm < E < 2.1 MV/cm, while Fowler–Nordheim tunneling leads at higher fields (E > 2.1 MV/cm). (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of impurities on short range electron transport in GaAs

The influence of Cr impurities on muonium atom formation in GaAs has been studied using muon spin relaxation techniques with alternating electric fields. The results suggest that electron transport to and capture by the muon is suppressed by capture/scattering on intervening Cr centers. The length scale involved is estimated to be about 3x10(-6) cm. This offers an opportunity to study electron transport to positive centers in semiconductors on a microscopic scale.     

Generalized Pearson distributions for charged particles interacting with an electric and/or a magnetic field

The linear Boltzmann equation for elastic and/or inelastic scattering is applied to derive the distribution function of a spatially homogeneous system of charged particles spreading in a host medium of two-level atoms and subjected to external electric and/or magnetic fields. We construct a Fokker-Planck approximation to the kinetic equations and derive the most general class of distributions for the given problem by discussing in detail some physically meaningful cases. The equivalence with the transport theory of electrons in a phonon background is also discussed.     

High field transport properties in a GaN/AlGaN heterostructure

The drift velocity, electron temperature, electron energy and momentum loss rates of a two-dimensional electron gas are calculated in a GaN/AlGaN heterojunction (HJ) at high electric fields employing the energy and momentum balance technique, assuming the drifted Fermi–Dirac (F–D) distribution function for electrons. Besides the conventional scattering mechanisms, roughness induced new scattering mechanisms such as misfit piezoelectric and misfit deformation potential scatterings are considered in momentum relaxation. Energy loss rates due to acoustic phonons and polar optical phonon scattering with hot phonon effect are considered. The calculated drift velocity, electron temperature and energy loss rate are compared with the experimental data and a good agreement is obtained. The hot phonon effect is found to reduce the drift velocity, energy and momentum loss rates, whereas it enhances the electron temperature. Also the effect of using drifted F–D distribution, due to high carrier density in GaN/AlGaN HJs, contrary to the drifted Maxwellian distribution function used in the earlier calculations, is brought out.     

Electron mobility variance in the presence of an electric field: Electron–phonon field-induced tunnel scattering

The problem of electron mobility variance is discussed. It is established that in equilibrium semiconductors the mobility variance is infinite. It is revealed that the cause of the mobility variance infinity is the threshold of phonon emission. The electron–phonon interaction theory in the presence of an electric field is developed. A new mechanism of electron scattering, called electron–phonon field-induced tunnel (FIT) scattering, is observed. The effect of the electron–phonon FIT scattering is explained in terms of penetration of the electron wave function into the semiconductor band gap in the presence of an electric field. New and more general expressions for the electron–non-polar optical phonon scattering probability and relaxation time are obtained. The results show that FIT transitions have principle meaning for the mobility fluctuation theory: mobility variance becomes finite.     

Monte Carlo simulation of in-plane spin-polarized transport in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum well in the three-subband approximation

We develop a Monte Carlo (MC) tool incorporated with the three-subband approximation model to investigate the in-plane spin-polarized transport in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum well. Using the tool, the effects of the electron occupation of higher subbands and the intersubband scattering on the spin dephasing have been studied. Compared with the corresponding results of the simple one-subband approximation model, the spin dephasing length is reduced four times under 0.125\,kV/cm of driving electric field at 300K by the MC tool incorporated with the three-subband approximation model, indicating that the three-subband approximation model predicts significantly shorter spin dephasing length with temperature increasing. Our simulation results suggest that the effects of the electron occupation of higher subbands and the intersubband scattering on the spin-dependent transport of GaAs 2-dimensional electron gas need to be considered when the driving electric field exceeds the moderate value and the lattice temperature is above 100K. The simulation by using the MC tool incorporated with the three-subband approximation model also indicates that, under a certain driving electric field and lattice temperature, larger channel widths cause spins to be depolarized faster. Ranges of the three components of the spins are different for three different injected spin polarizations due to the anisotropy of spin--orbit interaction.     

Mode dependent scattering of phonons by domain walls in ferroelectric KDP

Thermal conductivity and ballistic phonon imaging measurements in KH₂PO₄ (KDP) at low temperature (T<3K) indicate that scattering from domain walls has a large effect on phonon transport. kDP has a ferroelectric phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic structure atT _c =122 K. BelowT _c domains of opposite electric polarization and crystal orientation form unless the sample is colled in an electric field. Thermal conductivity measured along the [100] (tetragonal) axis drops 30% when domain walls are present, which is independent of sample size and temperature. We attribute this decrease to phonon polarization-dependent scattering at the domain boundaries. This is verified by measurements of ballistic transport, using phonon imaging techniques, which reveal the phonon polarization and mode dependence of the scattering. The scattering is successfully modelled using continuum acoustics with simple acoustic mismatch at the domainwall. The interface scattering is found to be mode dependent: Caustic structures in the phonon images due to slow transverse phonons are most affected by the domain wall scattering, which channels these phonons along parallel planes by multiple reflections without mode conversion. Mode conversion scattering, though possible for a number of phonons, has little effect on the overall phonon transmission.     

Correlation of charge trapping and electroluminescence in highly efficient Si-based light emitters

In this paper we report on recent results on charge trapping and electroluminescence (EL) from Ge rich SiO₂ layers. Thermally grown 80 nm thick SiO₂ layers were implanted with Ge ions at energies of 30–50 keV to peak concentrations of 1–6 at%. Subsequently rapid thermal annealing was performed at 1000°C for 6, 30 and 150 s under a nitrogen atmosphere in order to form luminescence centers. A combination of capacitance–voltage (CV) and current–voltage (IV) methods was used for the investigation of the trapping properties. It was found that at electric fields <8 MV/cm electron trapping dominates while at higher electric fields which are typically required for the EL operation of the devices positive charge trapping occurs. It is assumed, that the trapping sites which are responsible for the trapping of the positive charge are in strong relation to the defects causing the luminescence.