Comparison of different formulations of the electron-plasmon scattering rate and the dispersion relation on bulk semiconductor transport

We compare the effect of two different formulations of the electron-plasmon scattering rate, the electron-field and electron-electron models, as well as different formulations of the dispersion relationship on the calculated bulk transport properties of degenerate GaAs. The calculations are performed using an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation which includes an analytical nonparabolic model of the principle valleys in the conduction band, and all of the dominant scattering mechanisms. It was previously found that the functional form of the dispersion relationship significantly alters the magnitude of the electron-plasmon scattering rate. As a consequence, the steady-state velocity-field characteristics are also significantly altered by as much as ∼40% by the choice of the dispersion relation. It is further found that the choice of either the electron-electron or electron-field model does not by itself significantly alter the calculated results. Therefore, either model can be used to describe the effects of electron-plasmon scattering in degenerate bulk materials.