Comment on "Theory of metal-insulator transitions in gated semiconductors" (B. L. Altshuler and D. L. Maslov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 145 (1999))

TL;DR

This paper critiques a model explaining anomalous resistivity in 2D systems, arguing that experimental evidence does not support the idea that trap charging accounts for the observed behavior.

Contribution

It provides a critical analysis of the trap charging model, challenging its validity based on experimental data and emphasizing the need for alternative explanations.

Findings

Experimental evidence contradicts the trap charging model.

Intrinsic electron interactions are more likely responsible for resistivity behavior.

The proposed model does not adequately explain observed phenomena.

Abstract

In a recent Letter, Altshuler and Maslov propose a model which attributes the anomalous temperature and field dependence of the resistivity of two-dimensional electron (or hole) systems to the charging and discharging of traps in the oxide (spacer), rather than to intrinsic behavior of interacting particles associated with a conductor-insulator transition in two dimensions. We argue against this model based on existing experimental evidence.