Thomas Ihn

Semiconductor Nanostructures
Fall 2017

Exercise 7 handed out: 01.11.2017

Topic: Two-dimensional electron gases, quantum capacitance discussed: 08.11.2017

Problem 1

Consider a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in GaAs sandwiched in an AlGaAs

dielectric between a degenerately doped GaAs back gate (substrate) and a metallic
top gate. The separation between the electron gas and the back gate is dBG and that
between the electron gas and the top gate is dTG . You ground the 2DEG and apply a
DC voltage VDC between the 2DEG and back gate. Further, you modulate the back gate
with a small AC voltage UAC . The (capacitively coupled AC) current IAC flowing into
the top gate is measured. The arrangement is sketched in Fig. 1.

1. What current IAC would you measure, if you replaced the 2DEG with a metal
plate?

2. Consider a real 2DEG with a finite density of states. Work out how this situation
is different from the previous case. How can this setup be used for measuring the
density of states in the 2DEG?

3. Does Fig. 1(b) describe the physical situation appropriately? Interpret the terms
in your derivation for point 2.

Hint: Consider the degenerately doped back gate as being metallic, and neglect all
stray fields that would appear at the edges of finite size capacitors.
a) b)
metal top gate
IAC IAC
CTG
dTG AlGaAs Cq
2DEG(GaAs)
VVDC
o VVDC
o
dBG
AlGaAs
CBG
UAC UAC
deg. dopede
back gate

Figure 1: a) Schematic of problem 1. b) A possible equivalent circuit.