On the temperature dependence of the electronic states and the mobility in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

Experiment shows that in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures the sheet electron concentration remains almost constant up to a certain temperature, while it increases at higher temperatures. We attempt an interpretation of this temperature dependence, taking into account the fact that in the bulk, n-AlGaAs deep and shallow donors exist, which independently and by different mechanisms provide electrons to the different conduction band minima of the bulk n-AlGaAs, and contribute to the formation of the Q2DEG. We calculate the electronic states of this structure, the Q2DEG and the bulk concentrations, and the corresponding mobilities as a function of temperature. Our numerical results are in an excellent agreement with experimental data. PACS: