Monte Carlo study of electronic transport in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{\mathrm{x}}$As/GaAs single-well heterostructures

A study of electronic transport in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathrm{x}}$ ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{\mathrm{x}}$As/GaAs single-well structures including multisubband conduction at 77 and 300 K has been performed. The electronic states of the quantum well are calculated self-consistently taking the five lowest subbands into account. The numerically obtained wave functions and energy levels are used to obtain the major two-dimensional scattering rates in each subband. Polar optical- and acoustic-phonon (via deformation-potential) scattering are considered including intersubband transitions. For ionized impurity scattering, the screening effects due to the five lowest subbands are taken into account to obtain the Fourier-transformed Coulomb potential. The steady-state and transient behavior of the electrons in the well are studied through a Monte Carlo particle simulation. It is shown that high transient velocities [(3–8)×${10}^7$ cm/sec] can be expected at low and intermediate fields.