Abstract

Carrier capture at defects is a nonradiative multiphonon transition in semiconductors. Using carbon substitutional defect (CN) in GaN as a benchmark, the paper shows that phonon renormalization during defect relaxation can strongly affect calculated transition rates and invalidate the equal-mode approximation. The authors incorporate Duschinsky mode mixing and off-diagonal electron-phonon coupling contributions, obtaining capture coefficients that agree with experiment within an order of magnitude.

Abstract

Carrier capture at defects is a nonradiative multiphonon transition in semiconductors. Using carbon substitutional defect (CN) in GaN as a benchmark, the paper shows that phonon renormalization during defect relaxation can strongly affect calculated transition rates and invalidate the equal-mode approximation. The authors incorporate Duschinsky mode mixing and off-diagonal electron-phonon coupling contributions, obtaining capture coefficients that agree with experiment within an order of magnitude.

Abstract

Carrier capture at defects is a nonradiative multiphonon transition in semiconductors. Using carbon substitutional defect (CN) in GaN as a benchmark, the paper shows that phonon renormalization during defect relaxation can strongly affect calculated transition rates and invalidate the equal-mode approximation. The authors incorporate Duschinsky mode mixing and off-diagonal electron-phonon coupling contributions, obtaining capture coefficients that agree with experiment within an order of magnitude.

Abstract

Carrier capture at defects is a nonradiative multiphonon transition in semiconductors. Using carbon substitutional defect (CN) in GaN as a benchmark, the paper shows that phonon renormalization during defect relaxation can strongly affect calculated transition rates and invalidate the equal-mode approximation. The authors incorporate Duschinsky mode mixing and off-diagonal electron-phonon coupling contributions, obtaining capture coefficients that agree with experiment within an order of magnitude.