Stopping power of electrons in a semiconductor channel for swift point charges

TL;DR

This paper develops a nonperturbative kinetic framework to accurately calculate the stopping power of swift electrons in a semiconductor, showing good agreement with experimental data and discussing higher-order effects and extensions to plasma conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a nonperturbative kinetic model for electron stopping power in semiconductors, incorporating screened interactions and higher-order effects, improving upon previous perturbative approaches.

Findings

Quantitative agreement with experimental stopping data in silicon.

Analysis of higher-order terms like Barkas and Bloch contributions.

Extension outline for stopping in warm dense plasma.

Abstract

The nonperturbative kinetic framework for the stopping power of a charged-particle system for swift point projectiles is implemented. The pair-interaction potential energy required in this framework to two-body elastic scattering is based on the screened interaction energy between system particles. In such an energetically optimized modeling the swift bare projectile interacts with independent screened constituents of a fixed-density interacting many-body target. The first-order Born momentum-transfer (transport) cross section is calculated and thus a comparison with stopping data obtained [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 26}, 2335 (1982)] by swift ions, $Z_1\in{[9,17]}$ and $(v/v_0)\simeq{11}$, under channeling condition in Si is made. A quantitative agreement between the elastic scattering-based theoretical stopping and the experimentally observed reduced magnitude is found. Conventionally, such a reduced magnitude for the observable is interpreted, applying an equipartition rule, as inelastic energy loss mediated by a collective classical plasma-mode without momentum transfer to the valence-part. Beyond the leading, i.e., first-order Born-Bethe term ($Z_1^2$), the Barkas ($Z_1^3$) and Bloch ($Z_1^4$) terms are discussed, following the arguments of Lindhard for screened interaction. An extension to the case of stopping of warm dense plasma for swift charges is outlined as well.