Carrier thermalization versus phonon-assisted relaxation in quantum-cascade lasers: A Monte Carlo approach

Applied Physics Letters

Volumn 78, Issue 19, 2001, Pages 2902-2904

  Iotti, Rita Claudia ^a,b   Rossi, Fausto ^a  

^a POLITECNICO DI TORINO   (Italy)

^b SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE   (Italy)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0035821054     PISSN: 00036951     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1063/1.1370537     Document Type: Article

References (13)

1. J. Faist, F. Capasso, D. L. Sivco, C. Sirtori, and A. Y. Cho, Science 264, 553 (1994); G. Scamarcio, F. Capasso, C. Sirtori, J. Faist, A. L. Hutchinson, D. L. Sivco, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 276, 773 (1997); C. Gmachl, A. Tredicucci, D. L. Sivco, A. L. Hutchinson, F. Capasso, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 286, 749 (1999).
2. J. Faist, F. Capasso, D. L. Sivco, C. Sirtori, and A. Y. Cho, Science 264, 553 (1994); G. Scamarcio, F. Capasso, C. Sirtori, J. Faist, A. L. Hutchinson, D. L. Sivco, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 276, 773 (1997); C. Gmachl, A. Tredicucci, D. L. Sivco, A. L. Hutchinson, F. Capasso, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 286, 749 (1999).
3. J. Faist, F. Capasso, D. L. Sivco, C. Sirtori, and A. Y. Cho, Science 264, 553 (1994); G. Scamarcio, F. Capasso, C. Sirtori, J. Faist, A. L. Hutchinson, D. L. Sivco, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 276, 773 (1997); C. Gmachl, A. Tredicucci, D. L. Sivco, A. L. Hutchinson, F. Capasso, and A. Y. Cho, ibid. 286, 749 (1999).
4. See, e.g., V. B. Gortinkel, S. Luryi, and B. Gelmont, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 32, 1995 (1996); L. Friedman and R. A. Soref, J. Appl. Phys. 83, 3480 (1998).
5. See, e.g., V. B. Gortinkel, S. Luryi, and B. Gelmont, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 32, 1995 (1996); L. Friedman and R. A. Soref, J. Appl. Phys. 83, 3480 (1998).
6. P. Harrison, Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 2800 (1999).
7. See, e.g., C. Jacoboni, and P. Lugli, The Monte Carlo Method for Semiconductor Device Simulations (Springer, Wein, 1989).
8. This can be viewed as an extension of the Monte Carlo scheme previously proposed, but limited to the active region only [R. C. Iotti and F. Rossi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 2265 (2000).] The present approach, however, does not require any phenomenological assumption on injection/loss mechanisms. This allows us to consistently simulate carrier relaxation processes, without resorting to external parameters. Corrections to the Schrödinger-Poisson self-consistent field due to hot carriers can be neglected for these relatively low densities.
9. S. Barbieri, F. Beltram, and F. Rossi, Phys. Rev. B 60, 1953 (1999).
10. In this charge-conserving scheme the current density across the whole structure is a pure output of the simulation. The current/voltage characteristics of the semiconductor heterostructure can thus be obtained within a purely microscopic description.
11. C. Sirtori, P. Kruck, S. Barbieri, P. Collot, and J. Nagle, Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 3486 (1998).
12. T. Kuhn, in Theory of Transport Properties of Semiconductor Nanostructures, edited by E. Schöll (Chapman and Hall, London, 1998), p. 173.
13. v has nothing to do with the effective temperature invoked in a macroscopic n-level description, which becomes negative in the case of population inversion.