Electron-phonon interactions in indium gallium arsenide

Abstract

The authors discuss the Frohlich electron-photon interaction and the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller (LST) splittings of the optic phonon modes in mixed crystals with 'two-mode' behaviour. The theoretical results for these properties within a two-mode model are described. For the alloy In0.53Ga0.47As they discuss the experimental evidence for the LST splittings and the electron-phonon coupling of the two longitudinal optic (LO) phonon branches, including their own studies of phonon satellites of exciton recombination in In0.53Ga0.47As/InP quantum wells. The electron-phonon coupling is much weaker for the 'InAs-like' modes than for the 'GaAs-like' modes. They show that the primary reason for this effect is coupling of the LO distortions of the alloy by the macroscopic electric field.