Transverse-momentum selection rules for ballistic electrons at epitaxial metal/GaAs(001) interfaces

Sophie Guézo (1) , Pascal Turban (1) , Sergio Di Matteo (1) , Philippe Schieffer (1) , S. Le Gall (1) , Bruno Lépine (1) , C. Lallaizon (1) , Guy Jézéquel (1)

1 IPR - Institut de Physique de Rennes

We report on ballistic electron-emission spectroscopy on high-quality Au(110)/GaAs(001) and Fe(001)/GaAs(001) Schottky contacts. For the Au(110)/GaAs(001) interface, the ballistic current is characterized by a strong electron injection in the L valley of the GaAs conduction band. This remarkable spectroscopic feature is absent for the Fe(001)/GaAs(001) interface. These observations are explained by the different electronic structures in the two metal layers, assuming conservation of the electron transverse momentum at the metal/semiconductor epitaxial interfaces. Conversely, this comparative study suggests that the technique can be used for the analysis of local electronic states propagating in the metal films.

Mots clés: Electronic transport in interface structures; Surface states; band structure; electron density of states; Ballistic transport

Domaines: Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Sophie Guézo, Pascal Turban, Sergio Di Matteo, Philippe Schieffer, S. Le Gall, et al.. Transverse-momentum selection rules for ballistic electrons at epitaxial metal/GaAs(001) interfaces. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2010, 81, pp.085319. ⟨10.1103/PHYSREVB.81.085319⟩. ⟨hal-00658304⟩