Correct Evaluation of the Effect of Transverse Effective Charges on Phonons in AlAs Quantum Dots

An improved valence force field model (VFFM) is suggested to calculate the phonon modes in both bulk specimens and quantum dots (QDs) of AlAs taking account of the effect of transverse effective charges (TCs) correctly.The resultant dispersions of AlAs bulk phonons are in accord better with the results carefully fitted to the experimental data by using 11-parameters rigid-ion model, than those got by ordinary VFFM, especially in the region of near F point. For AlAs QDs, TCs are evaluated bond by bond for each phonon mode of QD and its effect on the change of the force on atoms is taken into account to modify further the phonon spectrum. The frequency spectra and densities of phonon states of different irreducible representations calculated by using improved VFFM are compared with the results of ordinary VFFM. The correct evaluation of the TCs is not only important in calculating the phonon spectrum of both bulk and QD specimens accurately, but is also in the further discussion of the electron-phonon (e-ph) interaction, which can be directly related to TCs of ions in QD.

Phonons in Quantum-Dot Quantum Well

Phonon modes of AlAs/GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/AlAs/metal Pb quantum-dot quantum wells (QDQW's)with the whole scale up to 90 A are calculated by using valence force field model (VFFM) based on group theory.Their optical frequency spectra are divided into two nonoverlapping bands, the AMs-like band and the GaAs-like band,originated from and having frequency interval inside the bulk AlAs optical band and bulk GaAs optical band, respectively.The GaAs-LO (F)-like modes of QDQW's that have maximum bulk GaAs-LO (F) parentages in all modes covering the whole frequency region and all symmetries have always A1 symmetry. Its frequency is controllable by adjusting the structure parameters. In AlAs/GaAs/AlAs, it may be controlled to meet any designed frequency in GaAs-like band.The results on GaAs/AMs/metal Pb QDQW's show the same effect of reducing in interface optical phonons by using the metal/semiconductor interface revealed ever by macroscopic model. The frequency spectra in both GaAs-like and AlAs-like optical phonon bands are independent of the thickness of Pb shell as long as the thickness of Pb shell is no less than 5 A. Defects at metal/AlAs interface have significant influence to AMs-like optical modes but have only minor influence to GaAs-like optical modes. All these results are important for the studying of the e-ph interaction in QD structures.