Possibility of phonon instability in a two dimensional semiconductor quantum well structures

Abstract

The possibility of phonon instability in a quantum well has been examined taking into consideration the electron-phonon process and specific three phonon processes at low temperature. When an optical phonon, at the centre of the Brillouin zone in thermal equilibrium, emits two acoustic phonons, the phonons instability appears whether the electron drift velocity is less than or greater than the sound velocity.