Significance of dimensionality and dynamical screening on hot carrier relaxation in bulk GaAs and quantum wells

Abstract

We have found theoretically that the reduced dimensionality from bulk GaAs to quantum wells has a strong effect on hot carrier relaxations at highly excited carrier densities. The distinct density of state and the dynamical screening cause hot carriers in quantum wells to relax significantly slower than in the bulk when the carrier density is above a critical value of 2 x 10(18) cm(-3). With the random phase approximation, the dynamical screening in quantum wells appears to be much stronger than that in the bulk and as important as the hot phonon effect at high carrier densities. We also found that the dependence of the average energy-loss rates on the well width in quantum wells becomes more appreciable when Al compositions are high. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.