Low- and high-field transport properties of pseudomorphic InxGa1−xAs/InP (0.73≤x≤0.82) p-type modulation-doped single-quantum-well structures

Abstract

The transport properties of three p-type modulation-doped InxGa1−xAs/InP (0.73≤x≤0.82) single-quantum-well structures grown by metalorganic chemical-vapor deposition are reported. High carrier mobilities of μH=7800 cm2/V s coupled with total carrier concentrations of pS=2.1×1012 cm−2 were reached, for example, for x=0.73 at 5 K. Shubnikov–de Haas and quantum Hall-effect measurements at 50 mK showed the population of two spin-split V3/2 subbands. Using p-modulation-doped field-effect transistors with a gate length of LG=1 μm, fabricated on the same samples, the carrier transport at moderate and high fields was investigated at 77 K. Thereby, the population of the heavy-hole subband and, above a critical field, also the occupation of the light-hole subband were verified. With the help of dc transconductance (gmext-VGS) and magnetotransconductance measurements a decoupling between both subbands at cryogenic conditions and moderate fields was observed, resulting in two clearly defined conducting channels. Further analysis of the measured mobility-voltage (μ-VGS) and velocity-field (vavg-Eavg) profiles revealed that carrier transport in compressively strained two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) systems is strongly affected by intersubband scattering and shows a nonlinear behavior at low fields, caused by the zone-center degeneracy of their E-k∥ distribution.