Analysis of the scattering mechanisms controlling electron mobility in β-Ga₂O₃ crystals

Electron density and Hall mobility data were simultaneously analyzed in the frame of the relaxation time approximation in order to identify the main scattering mechanisms that limit the carrier mobility in β-Ga₂O₃ single crystals. The Hall factor correction was self-consistently included in the fitting procedure. The analysis indicates that low-energy optical phonons provide the main scattering mechanism, via lattice deformation. In this regard, a deformation potential of about 4 × 10⁹ eV cm⁻¹ was estimated. Furthermore, it is shown that the Hall coefficient and mobility can be measured by the usual experimental geometry, and the standard transport theory can be applied when off-diagonal elements of the resistivity tensor at zero magnetic field are negligible with respect to the diagonal ones. This directly follows from the analysis of the magneto-resistive tensor of a semiconductor with monoclinic structure. Such a requirement is satisfied under the hypothesis of nearly spherical energy surfaces, as has been reported to occur at the Γ minimum of the conduction band of β-Ga₂O₃. (paper)