Hot-optical-phonon effects on electron heating and runaway in GaAs quantum wires
Abstract
Hot-phonon effects on electron runaway dynamics in GaAs quantum wires embedded in AlAs have been investigated by the self-consistent Monte Carlo simulation. Phonon emission by hot electrons as well as the optical phonon mode confinement by GaAs/AlAs heterointerfaces result in strong growth of nonequilibrium (hot) phonon population within the nanoscale GaAs region. In general, reabsorption of such phonons by electrons smears the carrier distribution and extends its exponential tails. We have investigated numerically hot-optical-phonon effects on electron heating and runaway dynamics in 0 < E < 1000 V/cm electric field range at 10 < T < 30 K lattice temperatures. We demonstrate that in the case of pronounced nonequilibrium optical phonon accumulation the carrier runaway occurs even in comparably low electric fields. Owning to the decrease of electron energy loss rate caused by the presence of hot phonons, the runaway process character significantly deviates from the exponential which is characteristic to the case of equilibrium phonons.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 1997
- Bibcode:
- 1997APS..MAR.J1306P