Heavy-hole scattering by confined nonpolar optical phonons in a single Si1xGex/Si quantum well

Gregory Sun and Lionel Friedman
Phys. Rev. B 53, 3966 – Published 15 February 1996
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Abstract

Intrasubband and intersubband scattering rates of heavy holes are obtained due to confined nonpolar optical phonons in a Si1xGex quantum well with Si barriers. Guided and interface Ge-Si and Ge-Ge modes and unconfined Si-Si modes are considered. A continuum model is used for the two components of the ionic displacement of confined vibrations: the uncoupled s-polarized TO mode and the hybrid of the LO and p-polarized TO modes. The guided mode is obtained using the model of a quantum well with infinitely rigid barriers and the interface mode is derived from the hydrodynamic boundary conditions. While the total intersubband scattering rates are reduced as a result of confinement, the opposite is found for the intrasubband scattering. Depending on the well width and Ge content, the intersubband scattering rates are reduced by a factor of 2-4 with respect to their values for no confinement. Thus one would expect comparable enhancement in the intersubband lifetimes crucial to the population inversion in a Si1xGex/Si intersubband laser.

  • Received 14 July 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.53.3966

©1996 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Gregory Sun

  • Engineering Program, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125

Lionel Friedman

  • Rome Laboratory/EROC, Hanscom Air Force Base, Bedford, Massachusetts 01731

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Vol. 53, Iss. 7 — 15 February 1996

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