Electric field dependence of the hot-electron drift velocity in Hg 0.8Cd 0.2Te under magnetic quantisation at low temperatures

Abstract

The electric-field dependence of the drift velocity of hot electrons in Hg 0.8Cd 0.2Te at a lattice temperature of 1.5 K is studied theoretically in the extreme magnetic quantum limit considering electron scattering by acoustic phonons and ionised impurities. Band non-parabolicity, free carrier screening, non-equipartition and non-equilibrium condition of acoustic phonons, and Landau level broadening due to electron-impurity interactions are included in the calculations. The agreement with recent experimental data is found to be satisfactory.