Correlation-length dependence of lifetime ratios: Individual estimation of interface profile parameters

Abstract

We show that the ratio between relaxation lifetimes dominated by roughness-related scatterings in heterostructures is a well-defined function of the correlation length. Thus, we propose an efficient method for individual estimation of the two size parameters of interface profiles from transport data. Instead of the normal simultaneous fitting of both parameters to lifetimes, we adopt a two-step procedure of (i) inferring the correlation length from some lifetime ratio and then (ii) fitting the roughness amplitude to some lifetime. Similarly, the ratio of roughness-induced linewidths in intersubband absorption may give such an estimation from optical data. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.