Scattering nonlocality in quantum charge transport: Application to semiconductor nanostructures

Abstract

Our primary goal is to provide a rigorous treatment of scattering nonlocality in semiconductor nanostructures. On the one hand, starting from the conventional density-matrix formulation and employing as ideal instrument for the study of the semiclassical limit the well-known Wigner-function picture, we shall perform a fully quantum-mechanical derivation of the space-dependent Boltzmann equation. On the other hand, we shall examine the validity limits of such semiclassical framework, pointing out, in particular, regimes where scattering-nonlocality effects may play a relevant role; to this end we shall supplement our analytical investigation with a number of simulated experiments, discussing and further expanding preliminary studies of scattering-induced quantum diffusion in GaN-based nanomaterials. As for the case of carrier-carrier relaxation in photoexcited semiconductors, our analysis will show the failure of simplified dephasing models in describing phonon-induced scattering nonlocality, pointing out that such limitation is particularly severe for the case of quasielastic dissipation processes.

18 pages, 10 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Current noise in a vibrating quantum dot array
• Monte Carlo study of carrier-light coupling in terahertz quantum cascade lasers
• Temperature performance analysis of terahertz quantum cascade lasers: Vertical versus diagonal designs
• Decoherence due to contacts in ballistic nanostructures

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Negative excitonic diffusion in transition metal dichalcogenides
• Optoelectronic device simulations based on macroscopic Maxwell-Bloch equations
• Derivation of nonlinear single-particle equations via many-body Lindblad superoperators: A density-matrix approach
• Wigner-function formalism applied to semiconductor quantum devices: Need for nonlocal scattering models
• Electron-phonon coupling in metallic carbon nanotubes: Dispersionless electron propagation despite dissipation
• Lindblad approach to spatio-temporal quantum dynamics of phonon-induced carrier capture processes
• Dispersionless propagation of electron wavepackets in single-walled carbon nanotubes
• Spatial control of carrier capture in two-dimensional materials: Beyond energy selection rules
• Two dimensional semiconductors: optical and electronic properties
• Spatiotemporal dynamics of Coulomb-correlated carriers in semiconductors