Electron transport in n-doped Si/SiGe quantum cascade structures

An electron transport model in n-Si/SiGe quantum cascade or superlattice structures is described. The model uses the electronic structure calculated within the effective-mass complex-energy framework, separately for perpendicular (Xz) and in-plane (Xxy) valleys, the degeneracy of which is lifted by strain, and additionally by size quantization. The transport is then described via scattering between quantized states, using a rate equations approach and tight-binding expansion, taking the coupling with two nearest-neighbor periods. Acoustic phonon, optical phonon, alloy disorder, and interface roughness scattering are taken into account. The calculated current/voltage dependence and gain profiles are presented for two simple superlattice structures. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.