Electron–acoustic-phonon scattering rates in cylindrical quantum wires

Abstract

The electron--acoustic-phonon scattering rates in a cylindrical quantum wire are studied. Considering the quantum wire as an elastic continuum, the confined-phonon dispersion relation is calculated for two cardinal boundary conditions: free-surface and clamped-surface boundary conditions. The scattering rates due to the deformation-potential interaction are obtained for these two confined phonons and are compared with those of bulklike phonons. The results show that the inclusion of acoustic-phonon confinement effects may be crucial for calculating accurate low-energy-electron scattering rates in nanostructures. It is also demonstrated that the anisotropy should not be ignored for materials of cubic symmetry.