Total dielectric function approach to the electron Boltzmann equation for scattering from a two-dimensional coupled mode system

Abstract

The nonequilibrium total dielectric function lends itself to a simple and general method for calculating the inelastic collision term in the electron Boltzmann equation for scattering from a coupled mode system. Useful applications include scattering from plasmon-polar phonon hybrid modes in modulation doped semiconductor structures. This paper presents numerical methods for including inelastic scattering at momentum-dependent hybrid phonon frequencies in the low-field Boltzmann equation for two-dimensional electrons coupled to bulk phonons. Results for mobility in GaAs show that the influence of mode coupling and dynamical screening on electron scattering from polar optical phonons is stronger for two-dimensional electrons than was previously found for the three dimensional case.