Monte Carlo calculation of temperature dependence of the transport properties in compensated GaAs

Monte Carlo calculation has been applied to investigate the temperature and compensation dependence of steady-state electron transport in n-type GaAs over a wide range of applied field strengths. It is found that doping compensation has stronger effect on the transport properties at low temperatures than at high temperatures. Compensation-enhanced impurity scattering is responsible for the reduction not only in low-field mobilities and peak velocities but also in the negative differential mobilities and the high-field velocities. The two-maxima behavior in the velocity-field characteristics persists at low temperatures through room temperatures for high doping compensation then it starts to diminish at 450 K except for compensation ratio of 0.9. The physical origin of this unique two maxima feature in the velocity-field relation has been discussed in comparison with other compensated semiconductors.