Characterization of High Mobility InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs Composite Channels by THz Magneto-Photoresponse Spectroscopy

Inserted narrow InAs quantum wells in InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures have been used to achieve higher mobility for high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with ultra-low-power and low-noise amplification characteristics and for spin-based devices. Due to the large nonparabolicity of the conduction band of InAs and the penetration of the confined electronic envelope function into the adjacent layer(s), accurate calculations of effective mass and g-factor of charge carriers can be problematic. Methods of making precise determinations of the mass and other electronic parameters are thus of interest. We have applied magneto-photoresponse and -transmissions measurements at several THz laser frequencies in concert with dc magnetotransport measurements at low temperature (T = 1.6 K) to determine various electronic parameters (effective mass, carrier density, g-factor, mobility and the quantum scattering time) of the 2DEG in an InAs/In_0.75Ga_0.25As/In_0.75Al_0.25As inserted channel structure. This characterization method can also be used to probe the effect of strain, Rashba field, etc on the properties of charge carriers in such structures.