Electron-acoustic phonon field induced tunnel scattering

TL;DR

This paper revisits the theory of electron-acoustic phonon scattering in non-degenerate semiconductors, accounting for band tilting due to electric fields, and provides new expressions for scattering times with numerical results for silicon.

Contribution

It introduces a model considering band tilting by electric fields and derives new scattering time expressions for non-degenerate semiconductors.

Findings

Scattering time depends on electron energy and electric field.

Numerical results for n-Si at 300 K show no fracture in scattering time curves.

Band tilting affects electron eigenfunctions and scattering probabilities.

Abstract

Theory of electron-acoustic single phonon scattering has been reconsidered. It is assumed that the non-degenerate semiconductor has a spherical parabolic band structure. In the basis of the reconsideration there is a phenomenon of the tilting of semiconductor bands by the perturbing potential of an electric field. In this case, electron eigenfunctions are not plane waves or Bloch functions. In low-field regime, the expressions for electron intraband transition probability and scattering time are obtained under elastic collision approximation. Dependencies of scattering time on electron energy and uniform electric field are analyzed. The results of corresponding numerical computations for n-Si at 300 K are presented. It is established that there is no fracture on the curve of electron scattering time dependence on the electron energy.