Title:The Role of Polar Optical Modes in Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Quantum Structures
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Author(s): V.N. Stavrou*, I.G. Tsoulos and N.E. Mastorakis
Affiliation:
- Department of Physical Sciences, Hellenic Naval Academy, Hadjikyriakou Avenue, Piraeus, T.K. 185 39, Greece
Keywords:
Capture, LO phonons, asymmetric quantum wells, wide bandgap semiconductors, electron and phonons resonances, barrier materials, scattering mechanism, dielectric continuum.
Abstract: In this paper, the interface polariton (IP), the confined (CF) modes in nanostructures
made with wide bandgap semiconductors, as well as their contributions to the carrier scattering
mechanism have been investigated. An asymmetric quantum well (AQW) made with
ZnSe/CdSe/ZnS has been studied. More specifically, the dielectric continuum (DC) model has
been employed to describe both the IP and the CF modes. Additionally, the Fermi golden rule
has been used to estimate the electron transition rate within the asymmetric structure. Our numerical
results show that the scattering rate for an electron which is localized at the bottom of
the first subband above the well and drops within the quantum well, is characterized by regular
peaks with an almost linear increase as the size of the QW increases. The emerge peaks are related
to two different physical characteristics of the AQW system. These peaks are related to
electron resonances and the threshold phonon emission (both CF and IP) called phonon resonances.
The scattering rate of an electron which is localized at the bottom of the second subband
above the well and makes transitions to all possible states within the quantum well gives only
rise to phonon resonances. The research highlights the importance of the CF and IP modes on
transition rates and their dependence on both the size of the quantum well and the asymmetry of
the barrier materials.
PACS: 68.65.Fg, 74.25.Kc, 63.22.−m, 63.22.+m