Mobility in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor: An analytical approach

Abstract

The electron mobility in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor is theoretically investigated when the scattering is due to ionized donors in an approximation where (i) the envelope wave function is assumed to be constant inside a cylindrical wire and zero outside and (ii) the finite-temperature effect is taken into account in the static dielectric function. It is shown that for the one-band case (intraband scattering only) this leads to an entirely analytical formula for the mobility at low temperature, for both uniform and modulation doping. For modulation doping, the theoretical mobility is much larger than that obtained in a two-dimensional semiconductor for comparable buffer-layer thicknesses. The main differences between the one- and the two-band cases (intraband and interband scattering) are pointed out. The localization effect is also briefly discussed.