Ionization degree of the electron-hole plasma in semiconductor quantum wells

M. E. Portnoi and I. Galbraith
Phys. Rev. B 60, 5570 – Published 15 August 1999
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Abstract

The degree of ionization of a nondegenerate two-dimensional electron-hole plasma is calculated using the modified law of mass action, which takes into account all bound and unbound states in a screened Coulomb potential. Application of the variable phase method to this potential allows us to treat scattering and bound states on the same footing. Inclusion of the scattering states leads to a strong deviation from the standard law of mass action. A qualitative difference between midgap and wide-gap semiconductors is demonstrated. For wide-gap semiconductors at room temperature, when the bare exciton binding energy is of the order of kBT, the equilibrium consists of an almost equal mixture of correlated electron-hole pairs and uncorrelated free carriers.

  • Received 7 January 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.60.5570

©1999 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. E. Portnoi* and I. Galbraith

  • Physics Department, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom

  • *Present address: School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom; also at A. F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.

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Vol. 60, Iss. 8 — 15 August 1999

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