Quick search Find article
Quick search
Find article

Energy and momentum relaxation of hot electrons in GaN/AlGaN

N Balkan1,5, M C Arikan2, S Gokden3, V Tilak4, B Schaff4 and R J Shealy4

Show affiliations


We report the experimental studies of hot-electron energy and momentum relaxation in the steady state in GaN/AlGaN HEMT structures with a high two-dimensional electron density of n = 1.5×1013 cm-2. From the LO-phonon-scattering-limited component of the mobility we obtain for the LO phonon the energy of hbarω~90 meV and the momentum relaxation time of τm~4 fs. Drift velocity versus electric field characteristics obtained from the pulsed I-V measurements show that, at TL = 77 K, the drift velocity saturates at vd = 1.0×107 cm s-1 at electric fields in excess of E~7.5 kV cm-1, and at TL = 300 K it saturates at vd~5×106 cm s-1, at an electric field of around E~10 kV cm-1. Electron temperature as a function of applied electric field is obtained by comparing the measured electric field dependence of the mobility µE at a fixed lattice temperature, with the lattice temperature dependence of the mobility at a fixed low electric field. The electron energy loss rate is then determined from the electron temperature dependence of the power loss using the power balance equations. The effect of hot-phonon production on the observed momentum and energy relaxation of hot electrons is discussed within the framework of a theoretical model, which was originally developed for III-V material systems and has been adapted for a two-dimensional electron gas in GaN, and in which phonon drift is neglected.


PACS

85.30.Tv Field effect devices

72.20.Ht High-field and nonlinear effects

72.20.Fr Low-field transport and mobility; piezoresistance

73.40.Kp III-V semiconductor-to-semiconductor contacts, p-n junctions, and heterojunctions

72.80.Ey III-V and II-VI semiconductors

Subjects

Condensed matter: electrical, magnetic and optical

Electronics and devices

Semiconductors

Surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Dates

Issue 13 (8 April 2002)

Received 6 September 2001, in final form 18 December 2001

Published 22 March 2002



View by subject




Export








Please login to access our web services, or create an account if you don't yet have one.

You must have cookies enabled in your web browser to be able to login.

Username
Password

Forgotten your password? Get a new one here.