Phonon drag and inelastic electron scattering by acoustic phonons in semiconductor superlattice

Abstract

The electron relaxation time due to acoustical phonon scattering, the electrical conductivity, and the phonon-drag thermopower of semiconductor superlattices with quasi-two-dimensional quantum wells and quasi-one-dimensional quantum wires are calculated. The inelasticity of the scattering of charge carriers is taken into account. It is shown that the phonon-drag thermopower of a superlattice can be three orders of magnitude greater than the corresponding thermopower of a bulk semiconductor.