CARRIER MOBILITY IN A SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM WELL WIRE–EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL PERTURBATIONS

Abstract

Carrier mobility in a narrow GaAs semiconductor quantum well wire embedded in the GaAlAs matrix is investigated using a simple model developed by Lee and Spector. Five different screening functions with three different impurity distributions are used in the calculations. The results show that (i) the choice of the screening function is important as the mobility values vary by two orders of magnitude, and (ii) the mobility values not only depend on the impurity distribution but also vary differently with the wire radius. While hydrostatic pressure reduces the mobility values, temperature increases the values. The polaronic effect decreases the mobility values irrespective of temperature and pressure, the maximum contribution being 9%.