Hot Electron and Real Space Transfer in Double-Quantum-Well Structures

Abstract

The hot electron phenomena and real space transfer (RST) effect are studied in GaAs/AlGaAs double-quantum-well (DQW) structures, in which we have two kind of quantum wells with different widths. The drift velocity and the electron temperature at liquid helium temperature are investigated as a function of the external electric field applied parallel to the heterointerface. By increasing the field, the electron temperature rises and reaches a plateau in the intermediate region, followed by further rise in the high-field region. The appearance of the plateau is attributed to the RST effect between the two quantum wells. The threshold field for the appearance of the plateau is determined by the difference energy between the quantized levels in two wells. The energy loss rate as a function of the electron temperature indicates that the RST is assisted by LO phonon scattering.