Dramatic reduction in the longitudinal-optical phonon emission rate in polar-semiconductor quantum wires

Abstract

Novel quantum-effect polar-semiconductor structures underlie technologies portending dramatic enhancements in the capability to process information orders of magnitude faster than is possible currently. In many embodiments of these quantum-effect structures, charges are transported in quasi-one-dimensional quantum wires which must support the transport of charges at high mobilities. However, it has recently been demonstrated that the longitudinal-optical (LO) phonons established at quantum-wire interfaces lead to dramatic enhancements in carrier-phonon interactions and concomitant degradation in carrier mobility. This letter demonstrates that phonon modes may be tailored through the judicious use of metal-semiconductor interfaces in such a way as to dramatically reduce unwanted emission of interface LO phonons and, consequently, to lead to the achievement of high quantum-wire mobility.