Phonon-Induced Suppression of Bloch Oscillations in Semiconductor Superlattices: a Monte Carlo Investigation

Abstract

The progress in the generation of ultrashort laser pulses, together with the development of spectroscopies on this time-scale, has led to a series of experiments which give new insight into the microscopic carrier dynamics in semiconductors. In particular, the energy relaxation of photoexcited carriers has been widely investigated. At the same time, recent progress in the fabrication and characterization of semiconductor heterostructures and superlattices allows a detailed study of a new class of phenomena induced by an applied electric field, such as Bloch oscillations^1,2. Both classes of phenomena typically occur on a pico- or femtosecond time-scale, where the coupling between coherent and incoherent phenomena is known to play a dominant role³. Therefore, an adequate theoretical model of the ultrafast dynamics on this time-scale must account for both coherent and incoherent effects on the same kinetic level.