Scattering by polar-optical phonons in a quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor

The scattering rate and momentum relaxation time for scattering of electrons in the quasi-two-dimensional quantized levels of an inversion or accumulation layer on a semiconductor surface is calculated for interactions via the polar-optical phonon. This interaction represents an important scattering mechanism in compound semiconcudctors. The quantization of the motion perpendicular to the surface enhances the scattering by this process over the bulk scattering.