Abstract
We present the first systematic study of the dependence of impact ionization by electrons and holes upon the details of the electronic band structure. Our measurements, made in GaAs, establish the crucial role of the ionization threshold energy, and its location in the Brillouin zone, in determining the ionization rates. This relationship is apparent in the dependence of impact ionization rates on the temperature of the lattice, compositional changes for the alloy GaAs 1- x Sb x , and the orientation and strength of the electric field. The strong dependence of impact ionization upon specific features of the electronic band structure is a new principle which can be used to study the nature of electronic states in a wide variety of semiconductors through hot-carrier behavior.
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