Calculation of warm electron transport in AlGaAs/GaAs single heterostructures using a Monte Carlo method

Abstract

A simulation of electronic transport in AlGaAs/GaAs single-well structures including multisubband conduction has been performed based upon an ensemble Monte Carlo method. During the transient calculation, the electronic states of the quantum well are calculated in a fully self-consistent manner by including the influence of the changes in the energy distribution on the quantum well potential. The numerically obtained wave functions and energy levels are also used to update the major scattering matrix elements. The increase in electron energy with time and the corresponding changes of matrix elements and self-consistent field (through dependence of screening on the electron energy distribution) lead to a decrease in both velocity overshoot effects and steady-state drift velocity in low electrical fields at a low lattice temperature.