Electron–phonon scattering in an etched InGaAs quantum wire

The influence of temperature and drive current on the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations is studied as a means to investigate the nature of the electron–phonon interaction in an etched InGaAs quantum wire. The temperature dependence of the energy-relaxation time, and the current dependence of the electron temperature, appear consistent with an energy relaxation process that is dominated by three-dimensional electron–phonon scattering. A deviation from this behavior is found in measurements performed at 1.6 K, however, and simple estimates suggest that this may be associated with the increased importance at low temperatures of phonon confinement in the etched wire.