Quantitative measurements of intervalley and carrier-carrier scattering in GaAs with hot (e,A⁰) luminescence

We have used photoluminescence from nonequilibrium electrons recombining at neutral acceptors to quantitatively measure hot electron kinetics in GaAs. Values have been obtained for intervalley scattering rates as a function of electron kinetic energy and the scattering rate of a single nonequilibrium electron in the presence of a sea of thermalized carriers. These measurements demonstrate the power of this new probe of nonequilibrium carrier relaxation in direct gap semiconductors. © 1989.