Impact ionization across the conduction-band-edge discontinuity of quantum-well heterostructures

Impact ionization across the band-edge discontinuity of quantum-well heterostructures is studied theoretically. We consider a heterolayer structure of alternating AlxGa1−xAs and GaAs layers where the GaAs layers are heavily doped with donors. Thus a large number of electrons is confined to the quantum-well region. Incident electrons are heated up by applied electric fields and collide with the electrons confined in the well regions. Both the ionization rate as a function of the incident energy, and average ionization rates are computed. Device applications of such multiple quantum-well structures and the possibility of a complete analog to the conventional photomultiplier are discussed.