High Mobility 2D Electron Gas Research Articles

Coexistence of Both Localized Electronic States and Electron Gas at Rutile TiO2 Surfaces.

Localized electron polarons formed through the coupling of excess electrons and ionic vibrations play a key role in the functionalities of materials. However, the mechanism of the coexistence of delocalized electrons and localized polarons remains underexplored. Here, the discovery of high-mobility 2D electron gas at the rutile TiO2 surfaces through argon ion irradiation induced oxygen vacancies is reported. Strikingly, the electron gas forms localized electronic states at lower temperatures, resulting in an abrupt metal-insulator transition. Moreover, it is found that the low-temperature conductivity in the insulating state is dominated by excess free electrons with a high mobility of ≈103 cm2 V-1 s-1 , whereas the carrier density is dramatically suppressed with decreasing temperature. Remarkably, it reveals that the application of an electric field can lead to a collapse of the localized states, resulting in a metallic state. These results reveal the strongly correlated/coupled nature between the localized electrons and high-mobility electrons and offer a new pathway to probe and harvest the exotic electron states at the complex oxide surfaces.

Impact of illumination on quantum lifetime in selectively doped GaAs single quantum wells with short-period AlAs/GaAs superlattice barriers

Impact of illumination on high-mobility dense 2D electron gas in selectively doped single GaAs quantum well with short-period AlAs/GaAs superlattice barriers at T=4.2 K in magnetic fields B<2 T has been studied. It was demonstrated that illumination at low temperatures gives rise to enhancement of electron density, mobility and quantum lifetime in studied heterostructures. The enhancement of quantum lifetime after illumination for single GaAs quantum well with modulated superlattice doping had been explained as consequence of decrease in effective concentration of remote ionized donors. Keywords: persistent photoconductivity, quantum lifetime, anisotropic mobility, superlattice barriers.

Влияние подсветки на квантовое время жизни в селективно-легированных одиночных GaAs квантовых ямах с короткопериодными AlAs/GaAs-сверхрешеточными барьерами

Impact of illumination on high-mobility dense 2D electron gas in selectively doped single GaAs quantum well with short-period AlAs/GaAs superlattice barriers at T = 4.2 K in magnetic fields B < 2 T has been studied. It was demonstrated that illumination at low temperatures gives rise to enhancement of electron density, mobility and quantum lifetime in studied heterostructures. The enhancement of quantum lifetime after illumination for single GaAs quantum well with modulated superlattice doping had been explained as consequence of decrease in effective concentration of remote ionized donors.

Wide Bandgap Oxide Semiconductors: from Materials Physics to Optoelectronic Devices.

Wide bandgap oxide semiconductors constitute a unique class of materials that combine properties of electrical conductivity and optical transparency. They are being widely used as key materials in optoelectronic device applications, including flat-panel displays, solar cells, OLED, and emerging flexible and transparent electronics. In this article, an up-to-date review on both the fundamental understanding of materials physics of oxide semiconductors, and recent research progress on design of new materials and high-performing thin film transistor (TFT) devices in the context of fundamental understanding is presented. In particular, an in depth overview is first provided on current understanding of the electronic structures, defect and doping chemistry, optical and transport properties of oxide semiconductors, which provide essential guiding principles for new material design and device optimization. With these principles, recent advances in design of p-type oxide semiconductors, new approaches for achieving cost-effective transparent (flexible) electrodes, and the creation of high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) at oxide surfaces and interfaces with a wealth of fascinating physical properties of great potential for novel device design are then reviewed. Finally, recent progress and perspective of oxide TFT based on new oxide semiconductors, 2DEG, and low-temperature solution processed oxide semiconductor for flexible electronics will be reviewed.

Landau polaritons in highly nonparabolic two-dimensional gases in the ultrastrong coupling regime

We probe ultra-strong light matter coupling between metallic terahertz metasurfaces and Landau-level transitions in high mobility 2D electron and hole gases. We utilize heavy-hole cyclotron resonances in strained Ge and electron cyclotron resonances in InSb quantum wells, both within highly non-parabolic bands, and compare our results to well known parabolic AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) systems. Tuning the coupling strength of the system by two methods, lithographically and by optical pumping, we observe a novel behavior clearly deviating from the standard Hopfield model previously verified in cavity quantum electrodynamics: an opening of a lower polaritonic gap.

Negative huge magnetoresistance in high-mobility 2D electron gases: DC-current dependence

Two-dimensional electron gases with very high mobility show a huge or giant negative magnetoresistance at low temperatures and low magnetic fields. We present an experimental and theoretical work on the influence of the applied current on the negative huge magnetoresistance of these systems. We obtain an unexpected and strong nonlinear behavior consisting in an increase of the negative huge magnetoresistance with increasing current, in other words, for increasing current the magnetoresistance collapses at small magnetic fields. This nonlinearity is explained by the subtle interplay of elastic scattering within Landau levels and between Landau levels.

Optical spin orientation of minority holes in a modulation-doped GaAs/(Ga,Al)As quantum well

The optical spin orientation effect in a GaAs/(Ga,Al)As quantum well containing a high-mobility 2D electron gas was found to be due to spin-polarized minority carriers, the holes. The observed oscillations of both the intensity and polarization of the photoluminescence in a magnetic field are well described in a model whose main elements are resonant absorption of the exciting light by the Landau levels and mixing of the heavy- and light-hole subbands. After subtraction of these effects, the observed influence of magnetic fields on the spin polarization can be well interpreted by a standard approach of the optical orientation method. The spin relaxation of holes is controlled by the Dyakonov-Perel' mechanism. Deceleration of the spin relaxation by the magnetic field occurs through the Ivchenko mechanism - due to the cyclotron motion of holes. Mobility of holes was found to be two orders of magnitude smaller than that of electrons, being determined by the scattering of holes upon the electron gas.

Evidence for a new symmetry breaking mechanism reorienting quantum Hall nematics

We report on the effect of in-plane magnetic field $B_\parallel$ on stripe phases in higher ($N=2,3$) Landau levels of a high-mobility 2D electron gas. In accord with previous studies, we find that a modest $B_\parallel$ applied parallel to the native stripes aligns them perpendicular to it. However, upon further increase of $B_\parallel$, stripes are reoriented back to their native direction. Remarkably, applying $B_\parallel$ perpendicular to the native stripes also aligns stripes parallel to it. Thus, regardless of the initial orientation of stripes with respect to $B_\parallel$, stripes are ultimately aligned \emph{parallel} to $B_\parallel$. These findings provide evidence for a $B_\parallel$-induced symmetry breaking mechanism which challenge current understanding of the role of $B_\parallel$ and should be taken into account when determining the strength of the native symmetry breaking potential. Finally, our results might indicate nontrivial coupling between the native and external symmetry breaking fields, which has not yet been theoretically considered.

Disorder-Induced Stabilization of the Quantum Hall Ferromagnet.

We report on an absolute measurement of the electronic spin polarization of the ν=1 integer quantum Hall state. The spin polarization is extracted in the vicinity of ν=1 (including at exactly ν=1) via resistive NMR experiments performed at different magnetic fields (electron densities) and Zeeman energy configurations. At the lowest magnetic fields, the polarization is found to be complete in a narrow region around ν=1. Increasing the magnetic field (electron density) induces a significant depolarization of the system, which we attribute to a transition between the quantum Hall ferromagnet and the Skyrmion glass phase theoretically expected as the ratio between Coulomb interactions and disorder is increased. These observations account for the fragility of the polarization previously observed in high mobility 2D electron gas and experimentally demonstrate the existence of an optimal amount of disorder to stabilize the ferromagnetic state.

Anomalous spin precession and spin Hall effect in semiconductor quantum wells

Spin-orbit (SO) interactions give a spin-dependent correction ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathbit{r}}}_{\mathrm{so}}$ to the position operator, referred to as the anomalous position operator. We study the contributions of ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathbit{r}}}_{\mathrm{so}}$ to the spin Hall effect (SHE) in quasi-two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor quantum wells with strong band-structure SO interactions that cause spin precession. The skew scattering and side-jump scattering terms in the SHE vanish, but we identify two additional terms in the SHE, due to ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathbit{r}}}_{\mathrm{so}}$, which have not been considered in the literature so far. One term reflects the modification of spin precession due to the action of the external electric field (the field drives the current in the quantum well), which produces, via ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathbit{r}}}_{\mathrm{so}}$, an effective magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the quantum well. The other term reflects a similar modification of spin precession due to the action of the electric field created by random impurities, and appears in a careful formulation of the Born approximation. We refer to these two effects collectively as anomalous spin precession and we note that they contribute to the SHE to the first order in the SO coupling constant even though they formally appear to be of second order. In electron systems with weak momentum scattering, the contribution of the anomalous spin precession due to the external electric field equals 1/2 the usual side-jump SHE, while the additional impurity-dependent contribution depends on the form of the band-structure SO coupling. For band-structure SO coupling linear in wave vector, the two anomalous spin precession contributions cancel. For band-structure SO coupling cubic in wave vector, however, they do not cancel, and the anomalous spin precession contribution to the SHE can be detected in a high-mobility 2D electron gas with strong SO coupling. In 2D hole systems, both anomalous spin precession contributions vanish identically.

Resistivity saturation in a weakly interacting two-dimensional Fermi liquid at intermediate temperatures

We report a highly unusual temperature dependence in the magnetoresistance of a weakly interacting high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) under a parallel magnetic field and when the current is perpendicular to the field. While the linear temperature dependence below 10 K and the exponential temperature dependence above 40 K agree with existing theory of electron-phonon scattering, a field induced resistivity saturation behaviour characterized by an almost complete suppression of the temperature dependence is observed from approximately 20 to 40 K, which is in sharp contrast to the phenomenology observed when the current is parallel to the field. Possible origins of this intriguing intermediate temperature phenomenon are discussed.

Microscopic Description of a Quantum Hall Transition Without Landau Levels

By restricting the motion of a high-mobility 2D electron gas to a network of channels with smooth confinement, we were able to trace, both classically and quantum mechanically, the interplay of backscattering, and of the bending action of a weak magnetic field. Backscattering limits the mobility, while bending initiates quantization of the Hall conductivity. We demonstrate that, in restricted geometry, electron motion reduces to two Chalker-Coddington networks, with opposite directions of propagation along the links, which are weakly coupled by disorder. The interplay of backscattering and bending results in the quantum Hall transition in a nonquantizing magnetic field, which decreases with increasing mobility. This is in accord with the scenario of floating up delocalized states.

Electronic transport in mesoscopic superconductor/2D electron gas junctions in strong magnetic field

The hybrid superconductor/2D electron gas (S/2DEG) structures based on InGaAs-InP hetero-junctions with a high-mobility 2D electron gas and superconducting NbN electrodes have been investigated. The electronic transport and current-voltage characteristics of S/2DEG/normal metal (S/2DEG/N) structures in strong perpendicular magnetic fields have been studied. Oscillations in the magnetoresistance of S/2DEG/N structures have been found in strong magnetic fields. It is shown that at bias voltages lower than the superconducting gap the amplitude of oscillations in S/2DEG/N structures significantly exceeds the oscillation amplitude in the reference N/2DEG/N samples. The experimental results can be explained within the quasiclassical theory of magnetotransport in S/2DEG structures developed by N.M. Chtchelkatchev and I.S. Burmistrov (Phys. Rev. B, 2007, vol. 75, 214 510).

DISTORTION OF THE 2D WIGNER CRYSTAL INTO A 'QUASI-3D' INSULATOR

Applying high magnetic fields parallel to the surface of a high-mobility 2D electron gas, we have recently observed a transition from the fractional quantum Hall liquid to an insulating phase, for filling factors as high as ν = 0.8 [B. A. Piot et al., Nature Phys. doi:10.1038/nphys1094]. This transition can be seen as a continuous distortion of the 2D Wigner crystal into a 'quasi-3D' insulating state. Here, we provide additional arguments confirming that carrier localization cannot be accounted for by disorder effects alone, and instead is most likely due to the stabilization of an electron solid by the strong parallel magnetic field in a 'quasi-3D' geometry.

Crossover from Weak Localization to Shubnikov–de Haas Oscillations in a High-Mobility 2D Electron Gas

We study the magnetoresistance deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) of a high-mobility 2D electron gas in the domain of magnetic fields B, intermediate between the weak localization and the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, where deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) is governed by the interaction effects. Assuming short-range impurity scattering, we demonstrate that in the second order in the interaction parameter lambda a linear B dependence, deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) approximately lambda(2)omega(c)/E(F) with a temperature-independent slope, emerges in this domain of B (here omega(c) and E(F) are the cyclotron frequency and the Fermi energy, respectively). Unlike previous mechanisms, the linear magnetoresistance is unrelated to the electron executing the full Larmour circle, but rather originates from the impurity scattering via the B dependence of the phase of the impurity-induced Friedel oscillations.

Synchronization, zero-resistance states and rotating Wigner crystal

We show, in a framework of a classical nonequilibrium model, that rotational angles of electrons moving in two dimensions (2D) in a perpendicular magnetic field can be synchronized by an external microwave field whose frequency is close to the Larmor frequency. The synchronization eliminates collisions between electrons and thus creates a regime with zero diffusion corresponding to the zero-resistance states observed in experiments with high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG). For long range Coulomb interactions electrons form a rotating hexagonal Wigner crystal. Possible relevance of this effect of synchronization-induced self-assembly for planetary rings is discussed.

Resistively detected NMR in quantum Hall states: Investigation of the anomalous line shape near [formula omitted

A study of the resistively detected nuclear magnetic resonance (RDNMR) lineshape in the vicinity of ν = 1 was performed on a high-mobility 2D electron gas formed in GaAs/AlGaAs. In higher Landau levels, application of an RF field at the nuclear magnetic resonance frequency coincides with an observed minimum in the longitudinal resistance, as predicted by the simple hyperfine interaction picture. Near ν = 1 however, an anomalous dispersive lineshape is observed where a resistance peak follows the usual minimum. In an effort to understand the origin of this anomalous peak we have studied the resonance under various RF and sample conditions. Interestingly, we show that the lineshape can be completely inverted by simply applying a DC current. We interpret this as evidence that the minima and maxima in the lineshape originate from two distinct mechanisms.

Quantum Hall liquid-insulator and plateau-to-plateau transitions in a high mobility 2D electron gas in an HgTe quantum well

The results of a study of the magnetic-field-induced quantum Hall liquid-insulator transition and the plateau-to-plateau transition in a high mobility two-dimensional electron gas in an HgTe quantum well are reported. The applicability of the universal scaling models (such as the universal critical exponent description and the semicircle model) for the description of these transitions is analyzed. It is shown that neither of these descriptions is completely adequate for the system under study.

Microwave electric field induced spin transitions of AlAs 2D electrons

We present the first direct electron spin resonance (ESR) on a 2D electron gas in a III – V semiconductor. ESR on a high mobility 2D electron gas in a single AlAs quantum well reveals an electronic g -factor of 1.991 at 9.35 GHz and 1.989 at 34 GHz with a minimal linewidth of 7 Gauss. Both the signal amplitude and its dependence on the position and orientation of the sample in the cavity unambiguously demonstrate that the spin transitions in our experiment are caused by the microwave electric field. We present a model that ascribes the spin transitions to the effective magnetic field acting on the electron spins that arises from (Bychkov–Rashba) spin-orbit interaction and the modulation of the electron wavevector around k F induced by the microwave electric field.

New resonant backscattering mode in a small-size quantum interferometer

Giant conductance oscillations quasi-periodic in the gate voltage are observed in the open state of a small-size quantum interferometer (of effective radius r ≈ 100 nm) based on the high-mobility 2D electron gas of an AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction. These oscillations presumably result from the multiparticle effects that occur in the interferometer arms and give rise to a strong backscattering and to conductance peaks, whose period corresponds to a one-electron change in the number of electrons in the arms.