We present a comprehensive, up-to-date compilation of band parameters for the technologically important III–V zinc blende and wurtzite compound semiconductors: GaAs, GaSb, GaP, GaN, AlAs, AlSb, AlP, AlN, InAs, InSb, InP, and InN, along with their ternary and quaternary alloys. Based on a review of the existing literature, complete and consistent parameter sets are given for all materials. Emphasizing the quantities required for band structure calculations, we tabulate the direct and indirect energy gaps, spin-orbit, and crystal-field splittings, alloy bowing parameters, effective masses for electrons, heavy, light, and split-off holes, Luttinger parameters, interband momentum matrix elements, and deformation potentials, including temperature and alloy-composition dependences where available. Heterostructure band offsets are also given, on an absolute scale that allows any material to be aligned relative to any other.

Band parameters for III–V compound semiconductors and their alloys

Materials research plays a vital role in transforming breakthrough scientific ideas into next-generation technology. Similar to the way silicon revolutionized the microelectronics industry, the proper materials can greatly impact the field of plasmonics and metamaterials. Currently, research in plasmonics and metamaterials lacks good material building blocks in order to realize useful devices. Such devices suffer from many drawbacks arising from the undesirable properties of their material building blocks, especially metals. There are many materials, other than conventional metallic components such as gold and silver, that exhibit metallic properties and provide advantages in device performance, design flexibility, fabrication, integration, and tunability. This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskite oxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the search for better plasmonic materials and an outlook of further research directions.

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Alternative Plasmonic Materials: Beyond Gold and Silver

Various models for calculation of physical parameters in compound alloys are discussed and the results for In1−x Gax Asy P1−y quaternaries are presented. The model used is based on a linear interpolation scheme, and therefore necessitates known values of the parameters for the related binary and ternary alloys. The material parameters considered in the present study can be classified into the following eleven groups: (1) lattice constant and crystal density, (2) thermal expansion coefficient, (3) electronic‐band structure, (4) external perturbation effect on the lowest‐direct gap, (5) effective mass, (6) dielectric constant, (7) Frohlich coupling parameter, (8) elastic properties, (9) piezoelectric properties, (10) deformation potential, and (11) excitonic effect. Of particular interest is the deviation of material parameters from linearity with respect to the alloy composition. It is found that the present model provides generally acceptable parameters, in good agreement with the existing experimental da...

Material parameters of In1−xGaxAsyP1−y and related binaries

The methods for calculation of material parameters in compound alloys are discussed, and the results for AlxGa1−xAsySb1−y, GaxIn1−xAsySb1−y, and InPxAsySb1−x−y quaternaries lattice matched to GaSb and InAs are presented. These quaternary systems may provide the basis for optoelectronic devices operating over the 2–4‐μm wavelength range. The material parameters considered are: the lattice constant, the lowest direct‐ and indirect‐gap energies, and the refractive index. The model used is based on an interpolation scheme, and the effects of compositional variations are properly taken into account in the calculations. Key properties of the material parameters for a variety of optoelectronic device applications are also discussed in detail.

Band gaps and refractive indices of AlGaAsSb, GaInAsSb, and InPAsSb: Key properties for a variety of the 2–4‐μm optoelectronic device applications

Calculations of the steady state and transient electron drift velocities and impact ionization rate are presented for GaAs, InP and InAs based on a Monte Carlo simulation using a realistic band structure derived from an empirical pseudopotential. The impact ionization results are obtained using collision broadening of the initial state and are found to fit the experimental data well through a wide range of applied fields. In InP the impact ionization rate is much lower than in GaAs and no appreciable anisotropy has been observed. This is due in part to the larger density of states in InP and the corresponding higher electron-phonon scattering rate. The transient drift velocities are calculated under the condition of high energy injection. The results for InP show that higher velocities can be obtained over 1000–1500 A device lengths for a much larger range of launching energies and applied electric fields than in GaAs. For the case of InAs, due to the large impact ionization rate, high drift velocities can be obtained since the ionization acts to limit the transfer of electrons to the satellite minima. In the absence of impact ionization, the electrons show the usual runaway effect and transfer readily occurs, thus lowering the drift velocity substantially.

High field transport in GaAs, InP and InAs

Energy band gap and lattice constant contours are presented for the nine quaternary alloys formed from Al, Ga, In and P, As, Sb. The quaternary bandgaps were obtained using an interpolation formula proposed by Moonet al. The quater nary lattice constants were obtained by use of a linear interpolation technique using the binary lattice constants as boundary values.

Energy bandgap and lattice constant contours of iii–v quaternary alloys

Energy bandgap and lattice constant contours are presented for the six quaternary alloys formed from Al, Ga, In and P, As, Sb, with compositions of the form Ax By C(1−y). D or ABx Cy D1−x−y . The quaternary bandgaps and lattice constants were obtained using an interpolation formula proposed by the present authors.

Energy bandgap and lattice constant contours of iii-v quaternary alloys of the form A x B y C z D or AB x C y D z

A two-dimensional-ensemble Monte Carlo program coupled with a program for solving Poisson's equation is used to perform a self-consistent simulation of a GaAs MESFET having a nonuniformly doped (ion-implanted) channel. For V gs = −0.5 V and V ds = 1 V, the simulation yields I ds = 18 mA/50 μ m, g m = 755 mS/mm and f T = 230 GHz. The results are compared to those obtained from a conventional 2D device-analysis program which uses static velocity-field characteristics and an empirical expression for low-field mobility versus doping concentration. The currents, transconductance, and cutoff frequency obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation are considerably larger than those obtained from the conventional 2D analysis. This difference is explained by the fact that the conventional device analysis program fails to account for transient transport phenomena.

Two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation of a submicron GaAs MESFET with a nonuniformly doped channel

Ballistic transport in GaAs has been studied using an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. Duration and spatial extent of ballistic transport for a hot electron distribution can be defined from such studies. Mean displacement of the ensemble increases quadratically with time for a specified interval. This observation provides a phenomenological definition of ensemble ballistic transport. This phenomenological definition is compared with a theoretical definition based on time at which a significant fraction of an ensemble have experienced at least one collision. From these studies, times and distances are given for which a single-particle ballistic equation and a Langevin equation accurately describe ensemble transport in GaAs.

Ballistic transport in GaAs

Publisher Summary Two methods are used to study transient transport phenomena: one is the ensemble Monte Carlo method and the other is a “quantum kinetic approach” that uses a displaced Maxwellian to describe the instantaneous distribution of carriers There are significant differences between these two approaches A Monte Carlo simulation can easily include nonparabolic bands and any scattering mechanism for which a scattering rate can be formulated Monte Carlo method is used to study transient response of electrons in GaAs to a step electric field Monte Carlo transport calculation consists of modeling the motion of an electron as a sequence of free flights interrupted by collisions Between collisions, the electron obeys classical laws of motion determined from the band structure for the material The duration of a free flight, the kind of scattering process, and the change in momentum produced by a scattering are determined using numbers produced by a pseudorandom number generator

C. K. Williams

Papers

Energy bandgap and lattice constant contours of iii–v quaternary alloys

Energy bandgap and lattice constant contours of iii-v quaternary alloys of the form A x B y C z D or AB x C y D z

Two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation of a submicron GaAs MESFET with a nonuniformly doped channel

Ballistic transport in GaAs

Transient Response of Electron Transport in GaAs Using the Monte Carlo Method