Specific features of intervalley scattering of charge carriers in n-Si at high temperatures

Abstract

In n-Si, intervalley scattering of electrons can be of two types, f scattering and g scattering. With the purpose of establishing the contributions of f- and g-type transitions to intervalley scattering, the piezoresistance of n-Si crystals is studied in the temperature range T = 295–363 K. The initial concentration of charge carriers in the n-Si samples is 1.1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³, and the resistivity at 300 K is ρ = 30 Ω cm. As the temperature is increased, the region of leveling-off of the piezoresistance shifts to lower voltages. The characteristic feature of the dependence ρ = ρ(T) plotted in the double logarithmic coordinates (logρ = f(logT)) is the transition from the slope 1.68 to the slope 1.83 at T > 330 K. This is attributed to the substantial contribution of g transitions to intervalley scattering in the high-temperature region. For verification of the interpretation of the dependence ρ = ρ(T), the dependence is calculated on the basis of the theory of anisotropic scattering with consideration for intervalley transitions.