Density-dependent two-dimensional optimal mobility in ultra-high-quality semiconductor quantum wells

TL;DR

This paper uses Boltzmann transport theory to analyze the density-dependent mobility of 2D electrons and holes in various semiconductor quantum wells, revealing that background impurities limit mobility and proposing higher theoretical limits than current experiments.

Contribution

It provides a detailed theoretical analysis of 2D carrier mobility in quantum wells, highlighting impurity limitations and predicting higher achievable mobilities.

Findings

Background impurities limit GaAs electron mobility at ~10^13 cm^-3.

Predicted higher mobility limits for GaAs holes and AlAs electrons.

Current systems are dirtier than the theoretical limits suggest.

Abstract

We calculate using the Boltzmann transport theory the density dependent mobility of two-dimensional (2D) electrons in GaAs, SiGe and AlAs quantum wells as well as of 2D holes in GaAs quantum wells. The goal is to precisely understand the recently reported breakthrough in achieving a record 2D mobility for electrons confined in a GaAs quantum well. Comparing our theory with the experimentally reported electron mobility in GaAs quantum wells, we conclude that the mobility is limited by unintentional background random charged impurities at an unprecedented low concentration of $\sim10^{13} \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$. We find that this same low level of background disorder should lead to 2D GaAs hole and 2D AlAs electron mobilities of $\sim10^7 \mathrm{cm}^2/Vs$ and $\sim4\times10^7 \mathrm{cm}^2/Vs$, respectively, which are much higher theoretical limits than the currently achieved experimental values in these systems. We therefore conclude that the current GaAs hole and AlAs electron systems are much dirtier than the state of the arts 2D GaAs electron systems. We present theoretical results for 2D mobility as a function of density, effective mass, quantum well width, and valley degeneracy, comparing with experimental data.