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Negative differential mobility in III–V and II–VI semiconducting compounds

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La Rivista Del Nuovo Cimento

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Abbreviations

E :

Electric field

E e :

Electric field outside the domain

E i :

Electric field inside the domain

E m :

Electric field for which the drift velocity equals the valley value

E th :

Threshold field for Gunn instabilities

E v :

Valley field, corresponding to the minimum drift velocity

E 0 :

d.c. electric field

E 1 :

Microwave field amplitude

E :

Energy

E g :

Energy gap

f :

Electron distribution function

f i :

Partial electron distribution function, for thei-th valley

f (i) :

Electron distribution function in thei-th valley

g(t):

Probability, per unit time, of a free flight of time durationt

ℏ :

Planck’s constant

I(t):

Transient current

j :

Electric-current density

k :

Electron wave vector

k ⊥ :

Wave vector component perpendicular to the electric field

K (i) :

Electron wave vector measured from the centre of thei-th valley

LSA:

Limited space-charge accumulation mode

m :

Effective electron mass

m 0 :

Free-electron mass

m 1 :

Electron effective mass in the central valley

m 2 :

Electron effective mass in the satellite valleys

n :

Majority-carrier concentration

N :

Number of charges created by radiation inside the sample

NDM:

Negative differential mobility

P :

Scattering probability rate

P j :

Scattering probability rate for thej-th mechanism

P abs :

Absorbed power

q :

Carrier charge

r :

Random number between 0 and 1

R :

Penetration depth of an ionizing radiation

SCLC:

Space-charge limited current

t :

Time

t (i) :

Time measured from the latest scattering event of thei-th electron

t i :

Time duration of thei-th free electron flight

T R :

Transit time through the sample

T ′ R :

Transit time augmented by trapping phenomena

v :

Electron velocity

v (i) :

Velocity of thei-th electron

v d :

Electron drift velocity

v D :

Domain velocity

v (i)0 :

Velocity of thei-th electron at the beginning of the latest free flight

v v :

Valley value of drift velocity

V :

Voltage

V 0 :

Volume

W :

Sample width

Λ :

Maximum collision probability

ΔE :

Energy difference between central and satellite minima

ΔQ :

Charge induced at the contacts

Δx :

Distance travelled by a charge inside the sample

θ :

Angle between electron momentum and electric field

μ :

Carrier mobility

σ :

Electrical low-field conductivity

τ d :

Differential dielectric relaxation time

τ D :

Detrapping time

τ + :

Trapping time, or mean free drift time

τ 0 :

Λ −1

τ E :

Energy relaxation time

ω:

Microwave frequency

ω 0 :

Optical-phonon frequency

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  1. Istituto di Fisica dell’Università, Modena

    A. Alberigi Quaranta, C. Jacoboni & G. Ottaviani

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  1. A. Alberigi Quaranta
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Quaranta, A.A., Jacoboni, C. & Ottaviani, G. Negative differential mobility in III–V and II–VI semiconducting compounds. Riv. Nuovo Cim. 1, 445–495 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02747246

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