Effects of Magnetic Field on Electron Transfer and Velocity-Field Characteristic in Gallium Arsenide

Abstract

The effects of a magnetic field on the electron transfer and the velocity-field characteristic of gallium arsenide have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The effects of a magnetic field can be summarized as follows: (1) the rate of electron transfer is reduced; (2) the drift velocity along an applied electric field decreases in a low-field region; (3) the threshold field shifts to a higher field; and (4) the drift velocity along an applied electric field increases in a high-field region. These effects can be understood in terms of the magnetoresistance effect, with which the drift velocity is decreased, and the magnetic cooling effect, with which the energy in the random motion is decreased, of the electrons in a single valley of the conduction band. The experiment to measure the current-field characteristic by the microwave technique shows qualitative agreement with the characteristic obtained by the theory.